When Everything Changes
by ChestnutKey
Summary: The next generation of Hogwarts students has started school. Although the war is over, hard feelings still remain. Watch as Albus, Rose, and friends navigate their way through Hogwarts.
1. The Beginning of Everything

**Hello! I am a huge Harry Potter fan and have always fantasized about what happened to the kids of our heroes. Please read, review, and enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I did not create the Harry Potter universe.**

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**When Everything Changes**

**Chapter 1**

**The Beginning of Everything**

Albus stared in awe at Hogwarts as it grew larger and larger in his vision. Beneath the boat he sat in, the water rippled silently, leaving a small glistening current behind him. Each boat held three first years, with the head boat carrying the half giant, Hagrid, and his dog. Albus had grown up in a magical family, but had never once seen something quite so spectacular.

"This is amazing," Rose breathed, her red hair blowing mildly in the wind. "It's even better than Mum and Dad described." She looked over at Albus and smiled, and then she moved her gaze to the third student occupying their boat. "Hello, I guess I was too caught up in the excitement to introduce myself. I'm Rose Weasley."

Albus felt bad for not acknowledging the girl earlier. "I'm Albus," he said, purposefully not mentioning his last name. He'd already gotten enough attention from it on the train. "We're cousins."

The girl smiled at them shyly. "Heidi Chang. It's nice to meet you, too." Heidi was a pretty Asian girl with tiny facial features and long brown hair.

"Are you excited for school?" Rose asked conversationally.

Albus rolled his eyes. "She's only asking because she's crazy in to school," he laughed. "Rosie's been dressed in her robes since before the train even set off!"

Heidi laughed. "Well I only just changed into my robes now, but I am really excited about Hogwarts. I can't wait for flying lessons. My mum played Quidditch at school and I intend to get on the team as soon as possible." Her voice was quiet and squeaky from the anxiety of meeting new people, but Albus could tell she was opening up a little now that a conversation had started.

"We have tons of Quidditch players for cousins at school!" Rose exclaimed. "Granted, not many of them made the team, but it's pretty difficult with only seven members per House."

"Yeah, that true. I heard Harry Potter made it as a first year, though. I want to be like that!" Heidi said. "I don't think I'm quite good enough for that, though. I just want some way to compare myself to him. My mum told me all about him. You know, you kind of look like him, Albus."

Albus blushed, feeling embarrassed. "How would you know?" he asked.

"The news, of course," Heidi giggled, rolling her eyes. _Of course!_ he thought stupidly. The television was more of a recent invention within the wizarding world, and his parents had yet to get around to buying one. James had begged their parents for one when it first started getting more popular a few years before, but they had insisted it wouldn't be worth it.

Albus and Rose exchanged a glance. It was true, Albus looked almost exactly like his dad. He had the same black, untidy hair, and the same almond-shaped green eyes. Just about the only difference between Albus and his dad in looks was that his face was a little softer in shape, like his mum's, and his eyes weren't bad enough where he needed glasses. "Yeah," he replied awkwardly. "I guess I do look like him." Albus had known that his dad at fought in the war, but had never realized how great of a role he played until he'd gotten on the Hogwarts Express and told someone his surname. He knew that in less than an hour, Heidi would know who his dad was from the sorting ceremony, but he preferred to not be sitting next to her on a small boat when that freak out happened.

For the rest of the ride, Albus and Rose listened awkwardly as Heidi recounted all the information she knew about Harry Potter, and showed off the chocolate frog card she'd gotten on the train which so happened to be him. ("My mum doesn't let me buy chocolate frog cards because of the sugar, so I got as many as I could on the train just to be sure I found him.")

When the boat docked, Heidi cheerily said goodbye, and then ran off to find first years that better shared her interests. "Jeez," Rose muttered. "I hope she's not in my House." Albus silently agreed. That could be overwhelming.

Hagrid led the first years into the castle, and to a large set of doors where a woman with long wavy black hair stood waiting for them. "I can take it from here, Hagrid," she said nicely. Hagrid nodded, and he entered the room. The woman turned to the group of students and smiled. "Hello, I am Professor Scarcella, and I am your Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, as well as the deputy headmistress. Soon you will be sorted into one of four Houses, known as Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Your Houses will be chosen based on your strengths and values, and become like your new family for the next seven years."

Albus gulped, but from a quick peek around he could see he wasn't the only one who was nervous. A blonde boy behind him was completely pale, and two identical girls were whispering anxiously that what if they were sorted into different Houses.

When he looked at Rose, he realized that she was becoming nervous as well. She had suddenly started her breathing exercises and was trying to calm herself down. A queasy looking boy with unbrushed brown hair squeaked, "What if we belong in no House?"

"Or what if we have qualities of every House?" a boy with dark skin asked confidentially, startling everyone. "My parents have told me the qualities each House possesses, and I believe I could be part of all of them. Do we get our pick, then?"

Professor Scarcella glared at the boy. "Well aren't you a humble Hufflepuff."

A few of the students started giggling, and the boy frowned angrily. "Well maybe I don't want to be a Hufflepuff," he protested. "We all know Gryffindor's the best House, anyways!"

The ferocity in Professor Scarcella's eyes grew, sending shivers down Albus's spine. "What is your name?"

"Garry Jordan," said the boy proudly.

"Well, Mr. Jordan, I am pleased to inform you that we have something called the House Cup here at Hogwarts. You earn points by doing well in school and behaving yourself, and lose points with any rule breaking or talking back. Whichever House you end up with will start the Cup with negative ten points."

Garry's mouth fell open, and a boy with slicked blonde hair snickered. "I'd hate to be in your House, Jordan. Glad I'll be Slytherin, and not your so called greatest House."

"Oh, shove off, Malfoy. Maybe _you'll _end up in Hufflepuff!" Garry exclaimed, getting himself all riled up.

"Be quiet at once, Mr. Jordan. Five more points for your House." Then, the professor looked at all the first years and her expression softened. "Not one House is better or worse than the other," she assured them. "Hufflepuff is a fine House, if you end up there. You are placed where you will most succeed as a witch or wizard."

"I'd still rather not be Slytherin," Albus whispered quietly to Rose.

"Me too, but don't even worry about it. You'll be fine." Rose gave him a tiny smile, but it didn't reassure him. Despite her words, he couldn't believe Rose. Not when she'd just been freaking out herself. Of course, even if Rose wasn't a Gryffindor she was guaranteed Ravenclaw. It wasn't fair when her alternate possibility meant she was a genius, when his alternate House meant he was evil.

Professor Scarcella told everyone to line up, and then they entered the Great Hall. As they walked down the center pathway, Albus noticed four incredibly long tables, each holding hundreds of students. Most people stared at the new students, probably curious about which would be the newest members to their Houses. On the far right he spotted his brother James pointing at him with his friends. Albus felt embarrassed. He was absolutely sure they were gossiping about how he wouldn't be Gryffindor. He wasn't brave enough. He felt too scared.

When he looked ahead, he realized they were approaching a large pointed hat sitting on a wooden stool. Oh no. He knew what this was. He could feel his heart beginning to thump faster, and his palms were getting sweaty.

When they reached the head of the room, everyone shifted their eyes from the new students to the old hat. The hat started to move, twitching its point, and then opened up a hole in the middle as if it were a mouth. Albus heard it take a deep breath, clear its throat, and then begin to sing.

_Oh, however many years ago  
__this school was run by four  
__two witches, two wizards  
__all with skills galore_

_Each had a very different view  
__of how to run this school  
__so each agreed to split their pupils  
__and then grew a diverse pool_

_Old Slytherin  
__before he broke away  
__was as ambitious as one could be  
__he honored those as worthy as he  
__and taught tirelessly day to day_

_Wise Ravenclaw  
__she valued study  
__book smarts were the key  
__she surrounded herself with those who could see  
__so clear and not so muddy_

_Young Hufflepuff  
__she was so kind  
__friendship is what she loved best  
__she celebrated loyalty, what a fest!  
__enhancing both her heart and mind_

_Brave Gryffindor  
__the man was so bold  
__to him cowards are a pest  
__he valued chivalry more than a treasure chest  
__his students glow like gold_

_Four great Houses are part of Hogwarts,  
__the greatest school in Britain  
__when you come and put me on your head  
__your future will be written_

The entire room stood and cheered as the hat took its bow. Although Albus and Rose clapped politely, most of the other first years were too queasy or confused on why there was a singing hat to even attempt to applaud. Garry Jordan was clapping wildly, absolutely bursting with excitement, but he was definitely the only one. As the cheering died down, Professor Scarcella stepped forward, and pulled a scroll out of her robes. After she unraveled it, she cleared her throat and the students quieted themselves. Albus wasn't sure if he was ready, but whether he liked it or not, the sorting had finally begun.

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	2. The Sorting Ceremony

**Disclaimer: I still didn't make up Harry Potter.**

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**When Everything Changes**

**Chapter 2**

**The Sorting Ceremony**

"To be sorted, sit on the stool when I call your name and put on the hat," Professor Scarcella called out. She stood in front of the Great Hall proudly as she began to read the names of new students off of her scroll. "Anderson, Luke!"

A short, chubby boy slowly crept up to the stool. His eye were darting back and forth, as if he'd never felt so exposed. Albus started to wonder why they didn't do the sorting in a more secluded place. It was so much pressure! The hat twitched when it was placed on his head, and after a few seconds it shouted "GRYFFINDOR!"

All the tables clapped for him, but none were louder than the Gryffindor table. James and his two best friends stood up and started shouting, "FIRST ONE! WE GOT THE FIRST SORTED!" They high-fived the amazed Luke as he walked past them to find an empty seat.

"Berry, Kendra"

A girl with light brown hair and freckles walked up to the hat, more confident than Luke had been. She giggled as she put on the hat, laughing from anticipation. "I can't believe she's not nervous!" Rose exclaimed as the hat continued to think. Albus was sure she'd be a Gryffindor as well. It really seemed like she fit the qualities.

"SLYTHERIN!" shouted the hat, and the girl popped off the stool and skipped away towards the table opposite of the Gryffindors. James started to boo, but the girl next to him whacked him in the shoulder and he stopped immediately, as if he were embarrassed. Albus couldn't help but feel disappointed, as well. He wondered if they would've been friends, had she been in Gryffindor.

Rose watched him as his gaze lingered. "Oh, come on, Albus." Albus looked back at Rose with wide eyes. "You don't even know her."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said back in a hushed voice. She rolled her eyes, clearly thinking she knew what was going on.

"Boot, John!"

A scrawny boy with black hair stepped forward. When the hat was placed on his head, it immediately shouted "RAVENCLAW" and a smug expression grew on his face. It was almost as if he somehow knew he was perfect for the House he wanted. Albus wished he had the same surety about Gryffindor. Immediately after John Boot, "Catterick, Suzy" joined him.

Soon Heidi was called, and Albus could feel himself getting nervous again. He gulped at the thought that she could potentially end up in Gryffindor with him (if he ended up in Gryffindor, too). She would be so obsessive. Heidi broke through the crowd of new students, just about flying because she was so overjoyed and excited. She bounced over to the stool, pulling the hat on without the assistance of Professor Scarcella, and waited patiently with a smile growing. After the hat shouted "RAVENCLAW!" Heidi let out a squeal and threw her hands in the air, and then soared towards the empty seats on the Ravenclaw table.

Rose scoffed. "Really? She made it into Ravenclaw? But she is such a ditz!" Rose could be really judgmental, but Albus couldn't help but agree with her this time. "I bet the hat just throws you around." She had her arms crossed and a scowl on her face. "This House thing isn't a joke to me and I'll be so angry if to the hat it is."

"If she can get into Ravenclaw like that, I could get into Gryffindor for sure," Albus commented. He was shocked at the hat's standards.

Rose shrugged. "You're right. We have nothing to worry about."

But even still, as the sorting went on, they started to become nervous again. With each passing "GRYFFINDOR!" Albus wondered if the hat's quota of the House he wanted would be filled up by the time it got to him. (He didn't know for sure if it worked like that, but he was scared.)

"Jane, Miranda!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Joelle, Matthew!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Jordan, Garry!"

Albus remembered this arrogant boy. If he was a Gryffindor, they'd start out with negative fifteen points! He started praying Garry would be Slytherin so there'd still be room for himself in Gryffindor. Garry swaggered over to the stool, beaming from ear to ear. "GRYFFINDOR!" Rose groaned. She obviously didn't approve of the hat's choices. Garry, however, clearly did, because he walked down the aisle towards the Gryffindor table like a runway.

"King, Todd"

A few students snickered at the presentation of his name. In fact, the kid himself cracked a smile. He was a tall boy with short brown hair, and walked to the stool with a smirk and his arms crossed. The hat shouted "HUFFLEPUFF!" and Todd shrugged before he casually walked over to his cheering table.

"He's so cool," Rose whispered.

"Shut up," Albus replied.

"Lawson, Craig" and "Macmillan, George" joined him at the Hufflepuff table soon after.

"Malfoy, Scorpius"

"There's that boy our parents were talking about before the train," Rose said. Albus cranked his head to see the blonde boy make his way from the back of the group and sit on the stool. He seemed a little nervous, but it didn't look like he was letting himself show it.

"SLYTHERIN!" He stood up with a smirk on his face, and walked to his cheering table.

"That was expected," Rose said. She ran a hand through her curly red hair. "My dad's complained about his dad all the time." Albus's dad had never mentioned Scorpius Malfoy's parents to him directly, but he'd heard his dad and Uncle Ron complain about them occasionally.

There weren't that many people Albus was interested in, so the sorting went by quickly after that. There were a few more Hufflepuffs, a few more Ravenclaws, a few more Slytherins, and a tinier amount of Gryffindors. As "McCrea," "McNielle," "Nott," and "Peakes" rolled by, he barely even noticed which Houses they were sorted into. Soon enough, though, his own name had to come around.

"Potter, Albus!"

Albus immediately heard the side chatter begin. He was hoping it would mean that no one was paying attention to his ceremony, but he had a hunch that it was the opposite. Looking into the crowd, he saw James wave deviously at him. "Remember what I told you!" he laughed, his voice echoing even louder than the whispers all around. Him and his friends pointed their hands forward, stuck their tongues out, and wiggled their bodies like snakes. Albus gulped and felt his face go pale.

"Oh, come on, Albus," he heard Rose say behind him. "Get up there." She gave him a slight push, and Albus wobbled forward. He took another look at James, then forced himself to close his eyes. _I'm not ready for this_, Albus realized, but it was too late for any more thoughts.

When Albus sat down on the stool, his eyes were still shut tight. He could hear the whispers all around him, and he did his best to block them out. He felt a cloth-like substance drop on his head, and he heard a booming voice resonate in his ear. "Ah, what a mind," the hat said mysteriously. "I haven't been placed on one like this in a while."

Albus felt butterflies in his stomach. "Does that mean I'm smart?" he whispered, hopefully. Anything to get him out of Slytherin.

"What? Of course not! I've sorted plenty of Ravenclaws. It means your special," the hat replied. Albus bit his lip, and opened his eyes again. He didn't exactly want anyone telling him he had a "special" mind, especially during something like this. "Now let's see . . ." Albus could feel the hat sifting through his brain, searching for something to connect him to one of the Houses. "Hmmm, you seem to doubt yourself a lot," it observed. Albus could feel himself starting to panic. Doubt himself? That was the opposite of Gryffindor activity! Gryffindors didn't doubt themselves, they stood up for themselves. Albus wondered if he'd lost all hope. "My point," muttered the hat. Albus held his breath. "Now, what else is here?" Albus hoped there was something else there to find. "Yes, you're very loyal to your friends-"

_Hufflepuff!_ "No," Albus whispered quickly. "No I'm not. I'm not loyal at all. I change friends all the time."

"You're clearly not a very good liar, either," replied the hat. "You're always so quick to interrupt me."

"I just think I know what House I want to be in," Albus said slowly, "and I want to make sure it happens."

"You do realize I can read your mind and already know that?" Albus hesitated as the hat spoke. "How else would I know that you have a special mind?"

"You don't need to keep calling it special! I've had enough of this!" Albus exclaimed in as quiet a voice as possible. "Tell me my House this instant or I'm taking you off and deciding for myself!"

A raspy chuckle played through his ears. "Oh, I love playing with the Gryffindors."

"Wait, wha-?"

Before he could even finish, the hat exclaimed, "GRYFFINDOR!" Albus felt the hat wiggle, and he could hardly believe it. He was a Gryffindor! The entire table was cheering wildly, including James. Someone even shouted, "We got another Potter!"

Then, Albus realized he was forgetting something. "Wait, what about the special mind thing?" But it was too late, and Professor Scarcella had already pulled the hat from his head. The hat twitched—maybe it was a shrug?—and Albus was shooed off to his new table.

On the way to an empty seat, James grabbed Albus's arm to stop him. "Hey! Sit next to me." Albus looked. There wasn't an empty seat. "Here, move, Cindy."

The girl who'd whacked James before scowled. "What the hell, Potter. I was here first."

"Aw, come on, Cindy," he said using one of his especially charming smiles. "It's my brother. You can't be saying I can't sit next to him." She didn't look convinced. "Why don't you sit next to Biggins? You used to hang out, right?"

"Biggins is an ugly bitch." Cindy didn't seem very nice to Albus. Her poofy blonde hair was pulled into a loose ponytail with shorter strands sticking out the front. She was also wearing a lot of makeup.

"Cindy! Come on!" James gave her some kind of puppy-eye look. "Pretty please?"

Cindy crossed her arms. "Fine. But you owe me." She stood up angrily, and crossed to the farthest side of the table next to another girl with a pudgy face. Albus cautiously sat down, looking in that direction.

"Why do you call her Biggins?" he asked, feeling bad for the girl. "She looks pretty average-sized."

James rolled his eyes. "It's her last name, genius."

"Wow," said Albus. "That really sucks."

When Albus looked back up at the remaining first years, he saw that Rose had failed with her breathing techniques, and appeared to be hyperventilating. Albus gave her a happy thumbs up and a wave, and she responded with a death glare that made him stop.

Soon enough, it was Rose's turn, and after around thirty seconds of painful waiting, she was sorted into Gryffindor, as well. She rushed over to Albus and James as soon as she could and hugged them. "Oh my God, I'm a Gryffindor! I can barely believe it!" she squealed. James shooed another classmate away to make way for Rose, and she excitedly sat down next to Albus. Then she looked at the surrounding faces also sitting nearby. "Oh! You must be McCarver and . . . McLaggen?" she asked, pointing at James' two best friends. The two boys smiled, the second a little more charmingly than the other.

"It's okay. You can call me Logan. I hope I can call you Rose?" Logan reached out a hand, and Rose nervously shook it. The whole exchange made Albus feel uncomfortable. He really hated Logan. Logan was too disgustingly interested in girls for Albus to approve of him even being near Rose.

"I'd say you could call me James, but that just might confuse you," McCarver said with a chuckle. His voice was on the rougher edge, and Rose responded with a much more hesitant handshake.

"So are you getting into Quidditch, then?" Logan asked Rose, still smiling.

Rose shook her head. "I hate brooms." Logan gave her a look, and color rushed to her cheeks. "I mean, I don't hate them. I just don't like using them. I'm terrible at sports."

"Alright then," Logan replied cockily. "You can just be my cheerleader then. Potter, McCarver, and I are all making the team this year."

"Yeah, I'm so ready," James said with a smirk.

Albus crossed his arms. "Oh, come on. You can't be serious. There are only seven team members per House. Fred and Victoire are already on the team, plus they told me that only two people graduated off the team last year. You only have two open spots and there are three of you!"

"Oh, come _on_, Albus," James said, rolling his eyes. "We're Potters. Of course I'll make the team. Plus McLaggen's brother is captain, and he knows all three of us. We'll just kick someone out."

"You know it!" McCarver lifted his hand and James and Logan met him with loud high-fives. His pale, freckled face twisted into some form of wicked excitement. Albus didn't like it at all.

"Victoire's not playing this year," Rose said. "She told me that now that she's Head Girl she won't have time for Quidditch."

"See, Albus?" James said, punching him in the shoulder. "Would it kill you to support me? Even Rosie's got my back, and she's not even my sister."

Albus kept his arms crossed, and managed a reluctant, "Yeah I bet you'll make the team." It was edging more on sarcasm than genuine belief, but James took it.

Soon enough, their plates magically filled with food, and everyone dug in. Albus was quiet and a little unsure of himself when it came to talking to people, but eating gave him an excuse not to. The headmaster made some announcements about the Forbidden Forest, but Albus paid no attention, as Headmaster Flitwick was a tiny man with a tiny voice, and James and his friends were obnoxious and loud. He wouldn't have been able to hear the announcements, anyways.

When dinner was over and the Prefects took the first years away, Albus was very relieved. He felt too overwhelmed by the amount of sounds in the Great Hall, and the height difference between him and the majority of the students. It was nice to be around students his own age and size. The Prefect was the only older student in the Gryffindor group as she toured them around a few main parts of the castle, but she was short for her age and didn't look much different from the first years. Albus hid towards the back of the group with Rose, and soon enough the tour ended so that the new students could be brought up to the Gryffindor common room for the first time.

The Prefect, Daisy, guided the group up a countless number of moving stairs, and Albus couldn't help but stare in awe as the world glided around him. Eventually they reached a door with a fat lady dressed in a cotton candy pink dress painted on it.

The woman in the painting moved, and smiled when she saw the group. "First years? So it's that time of year, again."

Daisy smiled and nodded her head. "Yup! Oh, and Lemon Skippers. Now will you let us in?"

The lady on the door rolled her eyes. "Fine." The door swung open, and the group of new Gryffindors all piled into the common room. Daisy guided the girls up to their dorms, and all the boys ran up to theirs, excited to claim the best bed before anyone else did. Albus looked at Rose for one last time before he went up to his dorm.

"I can't believe we're actually here," he said with a grin.

Rose nodded excitedly. "Yeah. Me too."

Their Hogwarts journey had just begun and now that the two of them had made it as Gryffindors there was nothing in their way

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**I hope you enjoyed! Please review. I would greatly appreciate it :)**


	3. New Enemies and New Friends

**Please, pretty please review!**

**Disclaimer: I am not JK Rowling, but that would be awesome if I was.**

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**When Everything Changes**

**Chapter 3**

**New Enemies and New Friends**

Rose and Albus had purposefully arrived early to their Flying lesson, thankful they were able to enjoy the gorgeous day. The sky was a beautiful shade of blue with very few clouds, and the sun beat down warmly on the two. This would be one of the last days of summer before October brought on the cold.

Without warning, a ball of mud was launched into the air and landed directly in Albus's face. Albus immediately moved to a more upright position and scowled at what he saw: Garry Jordon and his new friend Trevor Goldstein. "What the bloody hell was that?" Albus exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Rose got up too, and crossed her arms furiously.

Jordan and Goldstein laughed. "Oh, sorry about that," Jordan snorted. "We assumed you were Slytherin."

Rose wiped a clot out of her flaming red hair. "Are you _blind_? Did the Gryffindor robes not clue you in? Or were you two too busy acting idiotic to notice?" she screamed.

"Maybe it was the evil and maniacal look in your eyes," Goldstein mocked.

"I wasn't thinking anything evil and maniacal until you dingbats threw mud at us!" Rose exclaimed. "Maybe _you_ are the evil and maniacal ones."

"Yeah," Albus said. "You got mud in my bloody eye. Who does that?"

By that point a small crowd of Gryffindors and Slytherins had gathered around the four. Feeling pressured by the crowd to do something, Albus drew out his wand.

"Ooh," someone on the outside jeered. "Potter's got a wand. Shit just got real."

"Albus!" Rose whispered venomously. She didn't want to get involved in a physical fight, but with Jordan and Goldstein snickering and drawing their own wands she didn't have a choice. She pointed her dragon heartstring wand at the two boys and thought hard about any offensive spell she knew. She wished she'd been school longer and learned more.

"_Aguamenti!"_ Jordan shouted his spell and aimed it at Rose. A tiny stream of water sputtered onto her face, and she lifted up her arm to block it. The water was white, indicating an imperfect spell. As she spit out the water that had gotten into her mouth, the spurt coming from Jordan's wand shifted to Albus.

"_Lacarnum Inflamarae!"_ A burst of tiny flames came out the end of Ablus's wand, but quickly fluttered out. Garry Jordan's water charm immediately followed.

"This is pathetic!" Rose turned her head to see a few Slytherins snickering at their brawl. "This is the weakest duel I have ever seen."

Rose frowned and tucked her wand back into her robes. "Come on, Albus," she said. "This isn't worth it." _We haven't even learned anything good enough to fight with_, she thought.

"Ooh, running away?" Jordan called to Rose, desperate to get his edge back. "Good thing I didn't try for real on you. _Then_ you'd be begging for our forgiveness. No one challenges us and gets away with it."

The girl froze angry in her tracks and clenched her fists. _It isn't worth it_, she repeated over and over to herself, but it wasn't enough. She peeked back to see that Jordan had turned his back to them, basking in his victory with the other students. As quickly as she could, Rose turned around and launched herself at him. The two came crashing to the ground, and Goldstein and Albus rushed to join them. The four students punched and tugged at each other until finally a painful spell lodged itself in between all four of them and threw them towards opposite ends of the Quidditch Pitch.

"No one makes a fool out of themselves during _my_ lessons!" a woman's voice shouted. Rose stood up to see none other than famed Gwenog Jones casting the spell. "Come on back here, now," the intimidating woman called. "I have a class to run." Rose, Albus, Jordan, and Goldstein ran back towards the other students to form a semicircle around their instructor. A few of the other students stared in awe, also having caught on to their instructor's identity.

"Good afternoon. I am your flying instructor for the year. You may call me Madam Jones," the muscular woman beamed at the students, "and yes, I am _that_ Gwenog Jones." A blonde Gryffindor girl raised her hand. "Any muggleborns may learn who I am from their friends_ after class_," the girl drew her hand down, and Rose and Albus exchanged a glance, "but that's enough about me. Everyone, choose a broom and shout 'Up!'" Madam Jones pulled one of the school owned Comet 260s out of a pile, and placed it next to her to demonstrate. The broom shot up to her outstretched hand with ease, and a few students whispered to each other in amazement. Soon enough, everyone was lined up with their brooms to give their own try.

The blonde muggleborn who hadn't recognized Madam Jones was the first to get her broom to rise, and was offered a smile of congratulations. After seeing this, Scorpius Malfoy's shouts of "Up!" had gotten so loud that Madam Jones had to calm him down. Rose snorted. He was probably jealous that a muggleborn had beaten him at a wizards sport already.

At the end of the lesson, the first years all landed their brooms and helped Madam Jones haul them into a storage closet. As the laughing students skipped towards the main castle to get their dinner, Madam Jones called out. "You four," Rose stopped in her tracks, and felt her face begin to burn, "I need to talk to you." Rose, Albus, Jordan, and Goldstein all walked up to their flying instructor, upset that they had not left the Quidditch pitch unblamed for their actions. "What do you all have to say for yourselves?"

"Weasley attacked me, I swear," Jordan spat out. "Trevor was only protecting me."

"—Only because Jordan used magic on Albus and I!" Rose retorted.

"But Potter took his wand out first. I was only protecting myself." Jordan held his hands up in a protective manner.

"But Jordan and Goldstein threw—"

"Enough!" Madam Jones shouted, shutting up Albus's defensive statement. "I don't care who started it. You all are at fault. Twenty points from Gryffindor."

"But Madam Jo—"

"Not buts!" she interrupted. "You're lucky I'm letting you stay in my class at all. I will not be so easy on you next time. You!" She looked at Jordan with fierce eyes. "You have promise. Don't let me down." The tall woman walked away towards the castle, and Rose frowned.

"Isn't she conceited," Rose muttered.

"Don't call her conceited," Jordan said with star struck eyes. "She's Gwenog Jones. Besides, she told me I have promise." His mouth drew into a prideful grin.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on! She captained the Holyhead Harpies. My Aunt Ginny was on the Holyhead Harpies once. It's not a big deal."

Albus cleared his throat. "Have you _seen_ my mum play? It's kind of a big deal."

"Fine, but she didn't need to brag about it in front of everyone."

"You're just mad at her because you got in trouble!" Goldstein exclaimed, laughing.

"Am not!" Rose crossed her arms. "I don't need to talk about this anymore. She's conceited and that's final!" Jordan and Goldstein snickered, but she ignored them. Wizards as idiotic as them wouldn't understand, anyways.

By the time they reached the Great Hall, Rose was starving. She spotted Shaelyn Peters, the girl who'd gained control of her broom first, and sat next to her. Jordan and Goldstein annoyingly decided to follow them, as if they were friends now that their fight had passed.

"I can't believe it was me who could fly first," Shaelyn said excitedly. "My parents aren't even wizards, and I could do it before anyone else!"

"Really?" Albus asked. "I wonder what it was like for them to find out you were magical."

Shaelyn nodded hesitantly as she grabbed herself some turkey and mashed potatoes. "Professor Longbottom came for me. He knocked on our door and when he told us the news my father yelled at him to get out. He thought Professor Longbottom was trying to kidnap me and even called the police! Thankfully, the fact that he could confound all the police with a simple swish of his wand proved to my father he wasn't lying. My parents were still kind of skeptical when they sent me off to Hogwarts, but they'd seen enough to know that I had to go."

"Wow!" Albus gasped. "My parents are both wizards, but I'm a halfblood, technically. Before I got my Hogwarts letter my brother kept telling me I was probably a Squib. It was terrifying."

"I'm a halfblood, too," Rose said with a smile. "My mum is a muggleborn though, and she said her parents were absolutely thrilled to find out."

"Oh?" Shaelyn said. "I wish mine were more thrilled. They sort of just accepted it grimly." She looked down at her plate and dragged her fork through the potatoes.

"Aw, come on!" Garry Jordan had decided to interject. "You have to be lying. There is no way a muggleborn is first in Flying, and it is even less possible that your parents would be unhappy to have a witch in the family. Magic is fantastic! I'm not buying it." A charming smile spread across his face. Rose wondered how he could possibly say something so unbelievably ignorant.

"Uh, excuse me?" Everything that came out of Garry Jordan's mouth made Rose's blood boil. "My muggleborn mum was first in her class. And considering the fact that the unknown is scary, I definitely could understand why Muggles would be put off at first. Why else would Muggles try burning witches and wizards before our society became a secret? It's because they're terrified of us."

His eyes widened and he realized the error of what he said. "Oh, no! I mean, just 'cause no one could teach her. I mean, I'm a pureblood. I should've been able to ride my broom first. It only makes sense." He pulled at his hair, embarrassed at his words. "I didn't mean—Aw I sound like a total jerk, don't I?"

Shaelyn rolled her eyes. "I guess that I'm just much more magical than you thought, even more than you," she said, faking a laughter. Rose wanted to ask more about her parents, but Shaelyn had already dismissed that aspect of the conversation and moved on.

"Hey! No! I'm magical! I got into this school, didn't I? You all saw me use magic," he said, referring to his fight with Albus and Rose. He whipped out his wand and swished it in an attempt to transfigure his fork into a feather. It just got a little fuzzy instead.

Rose laughed. "Yeah, that was pretty weak, Jordan."

Jordan crossed his arms. "It's better than you, little miss 'I'm going to attack Garry the Muggle way.'" Rose shot him a death glare. "Oh, you heard that? My names Garry. Not Jordan. Jordan's my surname."

"Oh, really? Guess what? I knew that."

Garry Jordan chuckled, and poured himself a glass of pumpkin juice. When he finished, he flicked his eyes up to meet Rose's. "I prefer for you to call me Garry."

Heat flared up in Rose's cheeks and she looked away, trying to seem distracted. "Fine…Garry. Then I prefer you call me Rose." It didn't feel right calling him by that name. The first name basis implied that they were close, and Rose was not close with Garry, nor did she want to be.

"Fine…Rose," Garry replied, mocking her hesitation.

Shaelyn put her potatoes down and stood up. "I'm not hungry anymore. I'm going back to the common room." She started walking away as if she was upset.

Rose stood up to follow her. "I'm full, too." She waved goodbye to the others and caught up with Shaelyn. "Hey, don't listen to him," she said. "Garry has no idea what he's talking about."

Shaelyn froze in her place and angrily turned around to face Rose. "What the hell are you playing at?"

"What are you talking about?" Rose asked, shocked. "I was defending you."

"No. He was explaining that magic is amazing and my parents should see that. You were explaining that it's perfectly normal for Muggle parents to want to brutally murder me for being a witch."

"No, no, no, no, no!" Rose was at a loss for words. _What is happening?!_ she thought desperately to herself. _What did I do?_ "I just meant the witch trials—"

"I know exactly what you meant!" Shaelyn yelled. "Despite what you think, Muggles are not terrible people, especially not my parents." Shaelyn turned around and hurried away, leaving Rose all alone in the hallway.

Rose stared at the empty space ahead where Shaelyn had stood. "But…I don't think that." Somehow to Shaelyn Peters, Rose Weasley was prejudiced. When hearing about the most recent Wizardring War that her parents had fought in, she had always found the discrimination based on blood purity unbelievable. Rose had seen the scar on her mother's arm that read "Mudblood" and couldn't even imagine what kind of a terrible person would have done that to her. She was shocked to discover that Shaelyn seemed to think that_ Rose_ was the type of person who would do that. Rose wasn't prejudiced, but someone now thought she was. She hoped other people wouldn't find out. The last thing she needed was to be associated with Death Eaters.

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	4. Muggleborns

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**Disclaimer: I did not create the world of Harry Potter.**

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**When Everything Changes**

**Chapter 4**

**Muggleborns**

Scorpius Malfoy did not like that after only weeks of school, he had already landed himself a one on one chat with the Slytherin Head of House. Professor Fawley was a short middle aged woman with unkept brown hair. She could be nice at times, but for whatever reason, Scorpius did not like her. Madam Jones, of course, had felt it appropriate to contact Professor Fawley about his behavior during her lesson. She didn't like the fact that he had "thrown a fit" in the middle of her class.

They sat at the desk in Professor Fawley's office, which was a very large green room. Of course, Slytherin pride was fantastic, but the amount of green still surprised Scorpius. It was rather unsettling. Scorpius glanced back at the Head of Slytherin and gulped. He did not want to get on her bad side.

"So," Professor Fawley said, breaking the silence. "I hear from Madam Jones that you've created a disturbance in her class." Scorpius had hardly considered his behavior in her class to be a disturbance, but of course Professor Fawley had no way of knowing that. The woman smiled sweetly and poured herself a dark cup of tea. It smelled of mint. "Would you like some?" She held out a matching green teacup to him. Scorpius shook his head. "If you say so." She put the extra cup away and took a sip of her own tea. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Scorpius blinked. "No thank you?" Professor Fawley tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. "Oh. Yeah. I was just frustrated."

"Why were you frustrated?" Her voice was soft and unprovoking.

He shrugged. "I just thought I'd be good at flying." In fact, he _was_ good at flying. Scorpius's father had taught him everything he knew about flying. He'd grown up riding the finest brooms and had even zoomed across his hometown as a child, but somehow he couldn't do that here. Was it the nerves? He was too anxious to prove himself.

"And you were upset that someone else was better than you?" Fawley gave him a knowing smile and he scowled. He shook his head. "No?"

"I was supposed to be the best," he said. At the very least he shouldn't have been one of the worst. When he saw a Gryffindor—one that hadn't even recognized their celebrated flying instructor—get her broom to work first, he was horrified. Scorpius had grown up thinking that he was the greatest at flying. His younger brother Chamaeleon had never beaten him in any sport and his elder cousin Zephyr had always insisted on playing Quidditch on his team during their family matches. He was talented.

"Ah, so you were upset because of that." She didn't understand.

"Some girl got her broom up before me, so I started trying harder," he said. "That's all there was to it."

Fawley rested her elbows on the desk and laid her chin on one of her hands. "The muggleborn?" she asked. Scorpius blinked, surprised. "Madam Jones told me." Before that moment Scorpius had no idea she was a muggleborn. Now he felt even worse.

"If she's a muggleborn, she shouldn't have gotten her broom up first," Scorpius said. She shouldn't have. She had no wizard parents to teach her. Scorpius's own father had been on the Hogwarts team, and he was sure many of the other students had wizard parents that could teach them. She had no one. She was riding better than anyone on natural talent alone.

"Mr. Malfoy." Scorpius glanced back at Fawley. "You can't make reactions like that. We do not want Slytherins put back on probation by the likes of a first year."

"Probation?" His parents had never told him about Slytherin probation.

"After the war, many of the parents did not trust the Slytherins. Headmaster Flitwick, Deputy Headmaster at the time, had no choice but to ban Slytherins from all after class activities for three years before they regained the public's trust," she spat. Scorpius was taken aback by the venom dripping from Fawley's mouth. "Slytherin went without a Head of House for a while, and there were no Slytherin Prefects or Head Students."

"Professor," Scorpius started, "I don't think that—"

"I do not like it when threats are sent my way purely based on a first year boy's silly activities, Mr. Malfoy." Fawley scowled at Scorpius. "Do not let it happen again."

Scorpius gasped. "Is Jones _threatening_ you?" he exclaimed. "I swear I didn't mean—"

"I didn't say that!" she shot back, a little too quickly. Fawley regained her composure and poured herself another cup of tea. "That's enough."

"I had no idea—"

"I said _that's enough_," Fawley stated. "You may go." She gestured towards the door.

"My punishment…?" Scorpius asked. He hated to bring it up, but he felt like he needed to. After all, he didn't want to get on Fawley's bad side, especially when it seemed like he was already there.

Fawley thought for a moment. "Consider yourself warned," she said. "I won't take any more points on top of Madam Jones's." She smiled sweetly again, which seemed rather eerie considering how angry she had just looked. "We want to win the House Cup, after all."

Scorpius left her office with mixed feelings. He had no additional punishment, which was great, but something felt off. Professor Fawley shouldn't have snapped like that. She never did.

"How'd it go?" Drake Urquhart was waiting for him outside her office. He was a tall boy with thick brown hair.

"Awful," Scorpius replied. "I hate talking to her."

Drake cracked a smile, exposing his crooked teeth. "I hate talking to her too. Hey, you got let out just in time for Transfiguration."

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "Maybe I should have taken longer in there. What would your excuse have been?"

Drake laughed. "Excuse? I think Clearwater's far past asking me." He was right. Drake had missed so much Transfiguration that he could barely turn a match into a needle. Scorpius wasn't exactly impressed, but at least Drake made him look good.

"You know, I do hope you make it to second year." He turned his wrist to check his watch. "Oh, crap class is about to start. We'd better get there before we get another chat with Fawley."

Drake's eyes widened. "Oh, man you're right!"

They quickly made their way up the stairs out of the dungeon so they could get to their Transfiguration class in time. Scorpius hated the moving staircases, but he had no time to be cautious about them now. Drake rushed ahead of Scorpius, always ready show off the athlete within himself, and Scorpius chased after him.

"Hey, Scorpius!" Drake called from the top of a staircase, "I bet I'll get to Transfiguration first."

"Hey, hey, Drake!" Scorpius called back as he came closer to Drake, "I bet you won't."

"Oh, it is so on!" Drake bolted off again, even faster than before.

The staircase Scorpius was on started to move, and he froze, gripping both rails. The staircase shifted upwards and he grinned. "Hey, Drake, guess what?" he called.

Drake looked up from his story and cursed. "Aw, come on!" As Scorpius laughed, Drake made his way up the next staircase.

"Crap!" Scorpius found the next one, and the two continued on like this for a while. Soon the classroom was in sight, and without a minute to spare Scorpius pulled in a full throttle towards the door. He could hear Drake puffing behind him, spiteful that the stairs had not been in his favor. Then, out of nowhere Scorpius crashed head on into a girl. The two tumbled over each other as Drake leapt over them with victorious screams.

"Yes!" Drake stood in the doorway with his arms held high. "You owe me five sickles."

"What?" Scorpius called from over the girl. "I did not bet you that!"

"Hey," Drake pointed at Scorpius, "I am getting this money." He disappeared into the doorway.

Scorpius looked down only to find himself face to face with the pretty blonde Gryffindor girl who'd caused his "hissy fit" during their flying lesson. He blushed and pulled himself off of her. "Oh, man, I'm so sorry." She was frozen in shock, but after a few seconds she finally was able to take a breath.

"I…what…happened?" she gasped. "You're…"

"Scorpius." He held a hand out to the girl and helped her up. "I really am sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to…"

"Yeah, no, it's fine, it's—" The girl glanced at his green tie and cringed. Her tone changed. "Oh. I'm going into class now." She shoved him away and stepped into their Transfiguration classroom.

Scorpius scowled at her and followed her inside. He found a seat next to Drake. When he looked up he saw the girl frowning at him from across the room. "You know, for a second I thought she was pretty," he whispered.

Drake turned his head to take a peek at her. "Maybe she would be if she didn't look so damn unhappy."

"Yeah, jeez." He rested his head on his hand, and wondered about his conversation with Professor Fawley that day. Because of that girl the Slytherins were receiving threats. She wasn't just someone who was potentially more talented than he was, or someone that was rude and couldn't accept an apology. She wasn't just a pretty girl and she wasn't just a muggleborn. She threatening the security of his House and she was dangerous.

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	5. The Unexpected Genius

**Thank you for the review! Both compliments and criticisms are welcome.**

**Disclaimer: If I were JK Rowling I'd be making money off of this story and donating all of the proceeds to charity. As you can tell by this being posted on a fanfiction website, I'm not.**

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**When Everything Changes**

**Chapter 5**

**The Unexpected Genius**

The first year Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs gathered in the dungeons, ready for their Potions lesson. After one month of school, Professor Kettleburn was finally announcing the Potions partners. Rose and Albus purposefully sat next to each other, hoping that he would be lazy and pair them up that way. Shaelyn sat with Garry at the table across from them. Garry waved goofily, but Shaelyn just glared at them. Rose shuddered. Somehow every attempt at friendship with Shaelyn had resulted in a larger divide between the two.

"What's her problem with me?" Rose muttered quietly to Albus.

Albus shrugged. "She's really nice when she talks to me."

Professor Kettleburn cleared his throat, but only a few of the students quieted down. He was a frail thin man who somehow looked taller than he actually was. "Excuse me!" his voice raised slightly, and a few more students turned their heads his way. "Listen up, I'm assigning your partners today."

"Do we get to choose?" Todd King spoke up, without raising his hand.

Professor Kettleburn shook his head and a small smile played across his lips. "No, I could never be so generous." A few students groaned. "I have assigned you partners based on friendships." Albus and Rose gave each other a hopeful glance. "I am trying to break up cliques in order for you to make new friends." Rose's heart sank. She immediately thought of Shaelyn. What if she was stuck with her all year? Any mistake she made in class would be considered sabotage against the muggleborn witch, and any stroke of brilliance on Rose's part would be considered obnoxious. There was no way to win.

All the students groaned again and circled around the tables of the classroom. As Professor Kettleburn called out their names, they partnered up and claimed their tables. "Ben Summers and Evan Steele…" The two Hufflepuff boys shrugged at each other, and grabbed the table farthest from the professor's desk. They didn't seem particularly disappointed about their assignment. "…Shayne Hopkins and Jenna Takahashi, Trevor Goldstein and Veronica Entwhistle, Todd King and Shaelyn Peters…" Rose bit her lip. She was glad she wasn't with Shaelyn, but Todd was cute! "…Albus Potter and Mariah Cornfoot…" And now she wouldn't be with Albus either. He quirked his mouth as if to apologize, and then rushed off to claim a table with his partner. As the names rolled by, Rose couldn't help but notice something. _Oh no._ The second worst potential partner hadn't been listed yet. "…and the last group is Garry Jordan and Rose Weasley." _Shit_. Of course Rose would be partnered with the most dimwitted wizard in all of Gryffindor. Out of just one month of school, he'd managed to lose Gryffindor a total of eighty points. Rose almost preferred Shaelyn over Garry. At least then she'd have hope of passing Potions class. "Turn to page twenty three. I will grade your potions at the end of class."

Rose and Garry walked towards the last empty table from opposite sides of the room. The curly haired boy cocked a smile, but Rose just rolled her eyes. "Ey, partners, am I right?" he said. "Who would've guessed?"

"I'm trying to figure out what I did to deserve this punishment," Rose retorted.

Garry raised his arms. "Touchy."

Rose blushed and she took a deep breath. "Sorry, that was rude. I just haven't had the best time adjusting to school."

"Adjusting?" Garry exclaimed. "This is Hogwarts. You can use magic now! What's there to adjust to?"

"Um."

Garry held his hand out to Rose. "Wait. I heard it. Fixing it." Rose snorted, and Garry laughed as well. "Okay, this is my revised statement," he cleared his throat, preparing his audience, "You can use magic now! Adjusting to Hogwarts is like adjusting to being happy." Garry smiled. "There, that makes sense." Rose laughed again.

"Okay, the magic part is pretty cool," she said with a smile. "I just mean with friends." She glanced at Shaelyn, who was busy going over the assignment with Todd.

Garry followed Rose's gaze and shrugged. "Don't worry about it. She's just easily offended."

"She hasn't gotten offended by you yet."

Garry gave a sly smile and leaned against the table. "I'm just that charming, aren't I?"

"Let's just get started on the assignment," Rose groaned.

"Fine by me." The two opened their books to get started. "The Cure for Boils? Gross."

"Time to get the supplies," Rose sighed.

Garry read the instructions quickly. "Slugs! We get slugs! I call them!" Without even giving Rose a chance to speak, Garry rushed off towards the cabinets and grabbed three squirming horned slugs. When he returned he plopped them in the center of their table, and Rose felt her gag reflux kicking in.

"You know, Garry," Rose said, choking, "it would have been more sensible to wait to get the horned slugs. They're rather late in the potion."

"Aw, come on, Rosie," Rose grimaced at Garry using her nickname. "This is how my dad makes it." He started pounding the slugs with a rock as they wriggled in an attempt to escape, and Rose squealed in terror.

"No! No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" she screamed. "We brew them! _Brew_ them! We crush the snake fangs! You're ruining everything!"

Garry ignored her protests, and scraped the mushed slugs into his cauldron. "It brews better when it's mashed, Rosie. I've made this dozens of times."

"Dozens?" Rose rolled her eyes. "You get boils that often?"

Garry's eyes widened and he blushed. "No, I swear! My skin's gorgeous! I don't need it." Rose raised her eyebrow. "I mean, haven't you ever shopped at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes? Their candy is delicious but dangerous…"

Rose laughed. "Of course! My dad and my uncle own it together. My mum hates it, but my dad always lets us sample the prototypes. I grew out of it, but my brother still really loves it."

"Ah, right. Rose _Weasley_. I should've known you'd be related to the owners. Grown out of it though?" Garry stirred the slugs and sprinkled in crushed snake fangs and spooned in the jar of flobberworm mucus Rose had fetched for him. "That's impossible."

"Impossible?" Rose watched as the potion boiled and turned bright green.

"You still love pranks, Rosie, and I'm going to prove it to you."

"Why does that give me a bad feeling?" Rose asked. She lowered the temperature under the cauldron and stirred the contents on Garry's instruction.

Garry laughed. "It shouldn't. It should make you excited. A prank could be awaiting you at any moment."

"Oh, great," Rose moaned.

"Not just great. Fantastic!" Garry exclaimed. "You need to get more excited." Rose sighed and Garry sprinkled in the dried nettles. Rose stopped stirring, and the pair watched their potion slowly stop bubbling.

"Oh!" Rose pulled out her wand, ready to zap their potion with magic, but Garry stopped her.

"Remember, I made this before I had a wand?" he smirked.

"Yes, but—"

Garry put a hand on Rose's shoulder and she took a deep breath. "Look, we're twenty minutes ahead of schedule." Rose glanced around the room and saw a few students already looking stressed and rushed for time. Nearby, Trevor and Veronica's potion was becoming a dark purple, the opposite color the potion was meant to be. "We have plenty of time to gather magic without a wand."

Rose stared at Garry with wide eyes. "What?"

"What?"

"You can't do that. You're a first year."

Garry rolled his eyes. "This isn't a real spell. It's just magic. It's not like I'm dueling like this." Rose stared blankly at him. "Okay, okay, look at your palm." Rose followed his instruction. "When my mum taught me, she drew a dot in the center. You concentrate on that dot, and after enough time has passed you can just wave your hand over the potion. It used to take me hours, but now that I've done it so many times it's easier."

"You're lying," Rose said. "You're absolutely lying. Show me."

Garry shrugged. "Well, it's a good thing I've been storing magic in my left hand this whole time." Rose eagerly stared at him, excited to see him prove her wrong. He cleared his throat, and Trevor looked up to watch. "I am now going to activate this potion wandlessly!" Garry said ominously. He waved his hand around the cauldron, and at a flick of his wrist, the potion immediately glazed over into a lotion texture.

Rose gasped. "No. No way. You did not!" She glanced at Garry's arrogant smile. "No. You _did_! Teach me!"

After a short silence, Garry burst out laughing, and Trevor joined him. "I can't believe you fell for it!" Garry shouted.

"What?" Rose gasped. "But the potion clearly changed."

Trevor raised his wand, hidden under his sleeve. "Looking for this?"

Rose's face grew red, and she crossed her arms. "I cannot believe you! How did you do this before Hogwarts, then?" she asked.

Garry stuck his tongue out and Rose frowned. "My dad did the wand waving for me, of course."

Rose groaned. "Ugh! This potion had better work, Jordan!"

"Garry."

"Don't you dare make me call you Garry after this!" Rose shouted. She was furious.

"Oh, come on!" Garry exclaimed. "Lighten up! It's just a prank."

"Just a prank?" Rose said. "Didn't I literally just tell you I grew out of those? Like ten minutes ago?"

"Well, yeah, but—"

"But nothing!" she yelled. "I hate pranks! I've had enough of them. I bet this potion doesn't even work."

A few students had looked up from their assignments, curious of all the commotion coming from Garry and Rose's table. Professor Kettleburn carried himself over to their table. "I assume all this noise means you've finished your potion?" he said, expecting the answer to be no. Rose opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. She glanced over to Garry, but he was unfazed.

"Yeah. Try it."

Professor Kettleburn peered into the cauldron. "It's not supposed to be white," he observed.

Garry shook his head. "It's just a super light pink. Try it."

"Alright. Which one of you volunteers?" Rose pointed at Garry. There was no way she'd risk drinking that potion. Garry lifted his sleeve and Professor Kettleburn waved his wand. Angry boils sprouted all over his exposed arm. "Are you sure you want to drink it?" Professor Kettleburn was hesitating. It did look pretty gross.

Garry shook his head. "It's not meant to be drunk." He reached inside the cauldron and scooped up a pea sized amount with his pointer finger. Rose watched in amazement as Garry rubbed the substance into his skin and the boils vanished.

"Remarkable," Professor Kettleburn said, "although that wasn't the assignment." Rose suddenly felt very cold. Garry ruined everything. "I can't give you an Outstanding, but I'm sure an Exceeds Exceptions will suffice. Excellent work, you two." Professor Kettleburn walked away, ready to observe the work of all the other students.

Rose glared at Garry. "You idiot!" she whispered venomously so the professor wouldn't hear.

"What?" Garry asked. "We finished before everyone else and we got an E. What more could you ask for?"

Rose crossed her arms. "An O."

He shrugged. "I suppose. Hey, I'm leaving. You coming?"

"No."

Garry sighed. "Fine. See you later." Rose watched him leave the classroom and she groaned. _He is such an idiot!_ Rose crossed the room to see if she could help out Albus and his partner Mariah.

"Hey Rose," Albus said. "Let me guess, O?" Rose shook her head. "Bummer."

"It's all Garry's fault. If we just did what the direction said we'd be fine, but he wanted to do it his way, and I let him. I can't believe I let him."

"Let me guess, E?" Rose gulped. She didn't like that voice. She turned around to see Shaelyn taking her cauldron off the heat. Rose nodded weakly. Todd glanced over at her looking rather annoyed. "Oh, wow, Weasley. Your life must be _so _terrible. I feel incredibly bad for you. Too bad your wizard parents never taught you to stand up for yourself." Rose chose not to say anything. She'd found it best not to push Shaelyn. "Hey, are you listening to me?"

"Bugger off, Shaelyn," Albus said. "Rose wasn't talking to you." Shaelyn glared at Albus, then returned to her potion.

"Thanks," Rose said quietly. When Rose had entered Hogwarts, she'd expected to make instant friends and excel in every subject. However, it was clear by now that she wasn't a genius in any department. Muggle elementary school had been a breeze for Rose. She had never expected for Hogwarts to be such a challenge.

"You look like you need to have some fun," Albus said.

"Yeah. All the people here are really messing with my mood."

Mariah looked up from her potion, her thick black hair frizzy from the potions fumes. "Albus, if you and Rose want to go somewhere else, I can finish the potion for you." She gave him a sweet smile.

"Really?" Albus exclaimed. "That'd be awesome!"

"Oh my gosh, Mariah," Rose said with equal excitement. "I don't hate you."

"Um, thanks?"

"Ah! Sorry, I mean you're amazing." Mariah laughed. "That's okay, though. Thank you for offering."

"No problem," Mariah said. She and Albus waved goodbye as Rose left the classroom. Rose was glad there was at least one person at Hogwarts other than Albus that she could count on. Maybe she shouldn't just focus on Shaelyn and Garry. Maybe she should focus on the good people, too.

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	6. Quidditch Try-Outs

**Sorry about being late on updating. I've been very busy with school and my sorority all week.**

**Anyways, I feel that it's about time you all got an update on James, so enjoy!  
**

**Disclaimer: I did not create Hogwarts.**

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**When Everything Changes**

**Chapter 6**

**Quidditch Try-Outs**

"Oi! Listen up!" A tall muscular boy flew across a crowd of students. "I am Luke McLaggen and I am Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. We may not have won the Quidditch Cup for the last three years, but that is about to change. You have all had an entire month to prepare your flying skills, and now that I am Captain, there is no guarantee you will make the team if you were on it last year. I will accept no one but the best of Gryffindors, and I will not tamper with that by playing favorites with those I have already played on the team with." A few people looked at each other nervously, but most were excited because it meant they had a chance. "I will take fourteen of you at a time and see how you work together. Do not disappoint me." He flew down to the ground and grabbed a clipboard, ready to set up teams and take notes on their skill.

James nervously clutched his Firebolt as he waited among the Gryffindors, all lined up for Quidditch try-outs. He remembered the year before being so confident in his flying, only to find out that neither him nor his friends had made it onto the team. This year would be different though. McLaggen's older brother Luke was Captain that year and had played Quidditch with the three of them countless times over the past two summers. Not only did they have the personal relationship to help them onto the team, but Luke had seen them play, too. He'd even taught them a few lessons. James assured himself that he had nothing to worry about.

He looked around him to see his competition and smirked. "Oh, man, it's Cindy."

McCarver snorted. "I can't believe she'd come back after last year." The year before Cindy saw James sneak out after hours and ratted him out. As payback he gave her a good-luck snack before her turn, which turned out to be a Puking Pastille from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Long story short, she vomited mid-flight and was shamed by the team for months. "Did you bring her another treat?"

"Man, I wish I'd known she was coming," James replied with a laugh. "I never thought she'd show her face here again."

Cindy turned around and her eyes bugged out. "James? Oh my God I didn't see you there!" She moved back in line to stand next to him. "I wish I knew you were coming, too." Cindy hugged James and he begrudgingly hugged her back. He'd never actually seen her fly without vomiting, so he hoped she was actually terrible. He wouldn't want to be stuck with Cindy on the team all the way until the end of their seventh year.

As time went by, James felt his nerves build. When he hadn't made the team before he could get away with the fact that he was young and that second years didn't usually make the Quidditch teams anyways. Now that he was a third year he couldn't use that excuse. When they reached the front of the line, Luke told the next seven people to come forward and give him their information. First an older looking tall girl stepped forward.

Luke held out a clipboard. "Name, year, and position you're interested in."

"I'm Raven Wolpert, I'm a fourth year, and I'd like to be Keeper."

"Okay…" he scribbled her name on the clipboard and looked up. "Next."

The next girl up smiled and rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, Luke! You know who I am." James shared a knowing look with McLaggen and McCarver. "Okay, fine. I'm Hailey Oxnard, a sixth year, and I think I'd be _really_ good as a Chaser."

Luke laughed and combed a hand through his curly brown hair. "Nice to meet you Oxnard, or can I call you Hailey?"

The pair giggled and McLaggen made a gagging motion. "I hate him when he flirts."

Another girl named Bonnie introduced herself requesting to be a Beater, and then it was Cindy's turn. She put on a fake goofy smile and twirled her blonde hair. "My name is Cindy Grover and I'm a third year. I will do _anything_ you want me to." Luke gave her a weird look, but she didn't notice.

"I'll put you down for Chaser," he replied awkwardly. It was easy to assume Luke didn't enjoy it when thirteen year old girls hit on him. Then he looked up from his clipboard and saw the three of them. "Hey guys! I didn't know you were trying out this year. What positions are you all interested in? Oh, and say your names for me. It keeps the formality up," Luke laughed.

"James Potter, third year, Seeker," James replied proudly. "Just like my dad."

"James McCarver, third year. Put me down for Beater," McCarver said.

"Alright, McCarver! Remember what I taught you. It's all in the arm." Luke demonstrated a swing for him, and McCarver nodded excitedly. "And you, Logan?"

McLaggen smirked and crossed his arms. "Logan McLaggen, third year. You know what I'm best at."

"Chaser it is. You seven will be the red team. Transfigure your robes accordingly." He turned to the rest of the crowd to set up the next seven people.

James, McCarver, and McLaggen ran to the center of the Quidditch Pitch to catch up with the rest of their team. The older girls had already colored their robes scarlet. "Do you four need any help?" The tall brunette that Luke had flirted with held out her wand.

"Yeah, that'd be great," McCarver said. "We haven't learned how to do that yet."

"_Colovaria_." Hailey swished her wand and their robes transformed. "Okay, so Raven's Keeper, Cindy, Logan, and myself are Chasers, Bonnie and James McCarver are Beaters, and James Potter is the Seeker."

James nodded. "Yeah. And you can just call me Potter."

"And me McCarver."

"It makes things a lot easier when you're talking to both of us."

Hailey laughed. "Yeah, that really helps. Good luck."

"Thanks," James said. "Hey, wait a second, you're already on the team, aren't you?" Now it made more sense of how Luke and Hailey already knew each other so well.

Hailey nodded cheerfully. "I've been on the team since I was a third year. I used to be Seeker but then Joel Cruser came along in our fourth year and he's really good." James felt a bit panicked but he tried not to show it. "Hey, don't worry about it. Maybe you'll be the one that's even better than him. You never know."

"Has anyone been on since their second year?" Cindy asked.

"Luke has," McLaggen answered for Hailey. "He was a Chaser his first year on the team, but then when he was a third year he got big enough to switch to Beater."

Hailey nodded. "If you make the team and don't get the position you want, don't worry about it. Chances are if you keep working at it, you'll get to play that position eventually anyways."

"Aren't you worried, though?" Cindy rudely asked. "Luke said team members aren't necessarily going to make it back on the team. If you already got bumped down from Seeker, odds don't look good for you."

Hailey raised an eyebrow. "And you think you have better odds than me?"

"Hey, I'm new talent!" Cindy exclaimed. "I came to take over the old team."

"Oh yeah?" Hailey crouched to level herself to Cindy's head. "Aren't you the girl who got so nervous about your try-out that you vomited all over your broom?" James was trying hard not to laugh. Cindy still hadn't figured out that it was him who caused it.

"I wasn't nervous," she replied through gritted teeth.

"Oh I'm sure," Hailey said. "The people already on the team have trained constantly throughout the year harder than any of you newbies ever have. The only reason why someone like you has a chance is because there were enough seventh years on the team last year for there to be new openings this year." James, McCarver, and McLaggen looked at each other and gulped. "I'm not worried."

"Well," Cindy said, crossing her arms. "I'm not worried, either."

By that time, the next seven players had been picked out and it was time to play. James strapped on his flying gloves and sat on his broom. Both teams floated into the air. "Now remember," Luke called with the Quaffle in hand, "_Everyone_ has a chance at making the team." Cindy glared at Hailey, but Hailey just shrugged her off. "Begin!" Luke blew his whistle and threw the Quaffle into the air. One of the Chasers from the other team grabbed the ball, and the game had started.

James thought back to the last time he'd played Quidditch with his dad, and remembered his advice. He rose higher than the other players and scanned the area. The snitch had to flying around somewhere under him. He spotted the other team's Seeker, a second year girl named Annaliese Faye. The tiny girl had noticed James move to a more strategic position and did the same. James frowned. He didn't want his opponent looking good for Luke off of his moves.

Below him, McCarver slammed a Bludger in the direction of one of the opposing team's Chasers, who accidentally dropped the Quaffle in an attempt to escape. McLaggen swooped in under him and caught the Quaffle. A Chaser on the other team shot himself towards McLaggen, but just as he was about the rip the Quaffle from his arms, McLaggen spotted Hailey a few meters behind him and passed it to her. Hailey caught the ball just as she dodged a Bludger headed in her direction and passed it back ahead to McLaggen. He threw the Quaffle at full force towards the goal post furthest from the opposing team's Keeper, but against all odds she shot herself to the front of the goal post and kicked it away with the back of her broom. Just as one of the other team's Chasers was about to grab the Quaffle, Cindy swooped in and threw it threw the goal, the Quaffle just barely missed by the Keeper. James cheered. He was shocked. Cindy was good.

Just then, James noticed a tiny golden speck buzzing around in the corner of his eye. He turned to it, and saw the Golden Snitch mere feet away from Annaliese. James put himself at full throttle towards the Snitch, which in turn alerted Annaliese to its position. She reached her arm at and tried to grab at it, and for a brief moment James thought he had lost, but then the tiny golden ball dodged her hand and zoomed down towards the other players.

James dropped down at a speed he'd never reached before, but Annaliese was following close behind. The Snitch pulled them straight towards the action and James could feel the eyes of the other players on him.

"Oi! Look out!" James heard the cry of McCarver ringing in his ear, and spotted a Bludger coming from his right side. James ducked as the Bludger passed over him, and heard a cracking sound as Bonnie whacked it away on his left. In all the commotion, he lost track of the Snitch and cursed. He flew to the side of the Pitch away from the action, and watched. Annaliese was still zooming ahead, but he couldn't see the Snitch in front of her. Hopefully she was just bluffing.

Looking around, James found that the other team had gotten position of the Quaffle and was headed towards the goal posts. One of the Chasers tried passing the Quaffle to his teammate, but McLaggen quickly intercepted. Right then, a Bludger shot straight at him and hit him hard in the side.

"Logan!" James and McCarver didn't normally call him by his first name, but it wasn't the time for using surnames. McLaggen spun out of control, somehow still managing to hold the Quaffle.

Two of the Chasers on the other team sped towards McLaggen, but Hailey flew under him. "Drop the ball!" she yelled. With all the strength he could muster, McLaggen threw the Quaffle downwards to Hailey. McCarver got to the Bludger and hit it at the Keeper, which gave Hailey the opening to score a goal.

McLaggen clutched his side as he stabilized his broom and James flew down to check on him. "Are you okay?" he asked.

McLaggen winced, but still managed a grin. "I'm not losing my position over a bloody Bludger. Now go catch that Snitch before Faye does."

James nodded and pulled away from McLaggen. He saw Annaliese buzzing around the opposite side of the Quidditch Pitch, and was about to join her but then hesitated. Something wasn't quite right. He scanned his surroundings again, and noticed the Snitch above the goal posts closer to him. Finally he understood why Annaliese kept going after he had stopped. She actually had no idea where the Snitch had been the entire game. She was just trying to look good so she could score points with Luke. He smirked. That would never work.

As Cindy scored another ten points for his team, James flew above the goal posts towards the Snitch. Annaliese was so distracted by her own trickery that she hadn't even noticed. After a few moments, James' hand closed over the Snitch, and he cheered in delight. He glided down to Luke with his arm held high, and Luke blew his whistle signaling that the game had ended.

"Alright, everyone!" Luke called out. "That makes the score 40 points for the black team and 200 for the red team! Red team wins!" James imagined a cheering crowd of Gryffindors during a real game. He was giddy with excitement. With any luck, he'd be better than Joel Cruser.

"Hey, good job guys!" Hailey said to their team. "And you know what, Cindy? You really are good." She held out her hand as a peace offering.

Cindy gave it a long look, and then took it. "Yeah. You are, too."

"Expect to see the list up tonight," Luke told them. "I have a good feeling about this year."

James couldn't believe how good he felt. In only a few hours he was going to be on the team. It would be a dream come true.

That night after dinner James, McCarver, and McLaggen ran to the Gryffindor common room. "Gillyweed," James said excitedly to the fat lady painting. She opened the door to the common room, and the three of them bolted to the list.

**Gryffindor Quidditch Team**

**Keeper**

Fred Weasley

Of course, that was expected. James had seen Fred play during their family Quidditch matches and he was fantastic.

**Chasers**

Cindy Grover

Logan McLaggen

Hailey Oxnard

James and McCarver high-fived McLaggen. Their team coordination had been great that day, so they were hardly surprised that all three of their Chasers had made it.

**Beaters**

Luke McLaggen

Duncan Rosier

McCarver's face fell. He had been so good during their game. Duncan Rosier hadn't even been on the team the year before, but he was a seventh year so he could have easily beaten McCarver out on size and strength for Beater.

**Seeker**

Joel Cruser

"Fuck!" James punched the wall angrily. "I can't believe it. All this for nothing."

"Hey, guys, look at the alternates," McLaggen said, trying to be helpful. James read and saw.

**Alternates**

James McCarver

James Potter

Aja Sipila

"I'm still just a bloody alternate," James growled. "Cindy beat me on the team. _Cindy_. This is rigged."

"Oh, come on!" McLaggen exclaimed. "At least fifty people showed up to try out, and out of all of them, you guys were in Luke's top ten. That means something. Besides, do you not realize how easy it is to get injured in Quidditch? I'd bet you anything you'll play at least once this year."

McCarver looked down at his shoes. "I guess."

"All three of us made it on the team, and all three of us are going to play, even if you're alternates."

James nodded grouchily. "You'd better be right," he said.

McLaggen smiled and punched his shoulder. "You know I am."

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**Thanks for reading! Please, pretty please leave a review :)**


	7. Halloween

**Hey, everyone! I'm happy to take requests on character POV for later chapters if you're interested.**

**Disclaimer: This is fanfiction. Because I'm a fan.**

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**When Everything Changes**

**Chapter 7**

**Halloween**

The Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs were gathered in the Hogwarts greenhouses, most of them bored and restless. Albus and Rose found seats next to each other as they waited for class to begin.

"I cannot believe we have class today!" Albus moaned. "I was so sure we'd get the day off." In Muggle school he always had gotten the day off for holidays.

Rose nodded in agreement. "I love Halloween. At home Hugo and I always try and convince our mum and dad to set up a haunted house for the Muggle kids. Wouldn't that be exciting?"

Albus laughed. "I would love to see that. It's the one day a year you'd be able to get away with something like that."

"Mum and Dad never go for it," Rose said sadly. "They tell us it's too risky. I think if they were so concerned about risk, they shouldn't have chosen to live in a neighborhood with Muggles in it. They wouldn't even let us buy a black cat!"

"Don't you already have Crookshanks?"

"Yeah, but he's old," Rose exclaimed. "He's too lazy to be considered scary."

At that moment, Neville Longbottom walked into class. "Hello, everyone! Sorry I'm late. I had to rush here all the way from the Hospital Wing." Someone who didn't know their professor well might have been concerned for Neville, but Albus knew better. Neville and his wife Hannah had been over for dinner countless times before, so he knew even before he'd come to Hogwarts that Hannah was the school's Healer.

"Hello, Neville!" the class replied. It really sucked that they had to have class on Halloween, but at least it was Herbology and not a boring class like History of Magic. As within the theme it was for Professor Binns to be a ghost, he wasn't the scary or exciting kind.

"I know you're all disappointed that we have class today, but don't worry. I'd like to think that today's lesson is extremely exciting," Neville said with a smile. Albus and Rose rolled their eyes. Neville always thought his lessons were the most fantastic. "Everyone, get together with your partners, and grab a bouncing bulb from the back of the room."

"Neville!" Todd King raised his hand with a frustrated expression on his face. "Mariah isn't here again today."

"Go join Albus and Rose. I'm sure they could use your expertise," Neville chuckled. Todd nodded and started walking towards them.

Rose's eyes lit up with excitement and Albus smirked. It didn't take a genius to figure out who Rose fancied. "I'll go get the plant," he said. Rose smiled as a thank you, and Albus traveled to the back of the room to get their bouncing bulb.

At the back of the room, a string of vines spread across a table with only a few bouncing bulbs left. They ranged from quite large to fairly small, all bright purple and trembling with energy. Albus grabbed a knife and cut one of the smaller bulbs off the vine. Then he held it close to his body to prevent it from squirming out of control. When he reached the front of the classroom where he normally sat, he caught Rose and Todd in mid conversation.

"—don't understand why she's always gone," Todd was saying, presumably still complaining about his partner's absence. "I'm just glad Neville finally gave me someone else to work with instead of making me work by myself." Rose was nodding, looking extremely interested.

"I can hardly imagine what that's like," she said. "In Potions class I'm stuck with Garry Jordon, but as bad as he is at least he shows up."

"I don't know…" Todd replied. "I'm with Shaelyn for Potions and sometimes I'd rather her not be there."

"I'd rather her not be there either." Rose laughed a little too loudly. "I hate her!"

Suddenly feeling self-conscious, Albus glanced across the room at Shaelyn to make sure she wasn't listening. Thankfully, she hadn't looked up and heard her name. He didn't want to be caught in between Todd and Rose's gossip.

"Mariah's the worst, though," Todd sighed. Albus hated to admit it, but he sort of agreed. She was his Potions partner and she often left him to brew it by himself. When she was there, though, she was really nice and helped out an awful lot.

"I got the bouncing bulb," Albus said, breaking up the conversation. He placed the plant on their table, and Rose tied a rope around its stem to clamp it down.

"Thanks, Albus."

When everyone had tied their plants down, Neville cleared his throat and everyone looked up at him. Neville lectured on about the bouncing bulb, which he somehow considered to be the wizards version of a pumpkin. He lectured on about its properties, and finally at the end of the lesson, the students were allowed to carve into these purple plants and make Jack-o-Lanterns. Albus felt pretty unsure about the whole ordeal, but a few minutes after the carving started the bouncing bulbs stopped bouncing.

"So, who's keeping it?" Albus asked at the end of class. Their bulb looked like a sad, purple blob. The crown that Todd had carved at its top looked more like a bad attempt at hair, and its triangle eyes were mismatched in size.

"Nose goes!" Todd and Rose touched their noses.

"Sorry, Albus!" Rose said, laughing.

Albus picked up his Bouncing-Bulb-o-Lantern and frowned. "I hope the house elves think it's trash."

"Nah, they'll just freshen it up so you can keep it forever," Todd joked.

"They'd better not," Albus replied.

Next him and Rose made their way to Transfiguration. As they climbed the stairs away from the greenhouses, Rose swooned a little. "Isn't he so cute?"

Albus uncomfortably scratched his head and cleared his throat. "You know, Rose," he said, "I'm a boy."

"Oh, come on!" Rose said, half moaning, half laughing. "You don't need to be attracted to him to see it!"

He shrugged. "Well, yeah you kind of do."

Rose rolled her eyes at him. "You're no fun."

"You just need more girl friends," Albus said.

For a minute Rose was silent, probably sifting through the options in her head. "I like Mariah," she said.

"Weren't you just complaining about her with Todd?" Albus asked.

"That was completely and only for the sake of Todd," Rose explained. "Besides, he's the one who did the talking. I only complained about Garry."

Albus shrugged. "Alright, fine. Go find her and talk to her about boys."

Rose laughed. "Yeah I will, as soon as she's done being 'sick.'" She added air quotes to the final word of her sentence. For some reason Albus didn't think that Mariah was missing class just to miss it. Yeah, he hated the fact that she missed class, but she was such a hard worker when she was there that it didn't add up. He didn't feel like telling that to Rose, though. She wouldn't listen to him anyways.

When they finally reached their Transfiguration classroom, most of the seats were taken, and only a few single seats were left. That was the problem with their Transfiguration class always being after Herbology. Albus usually caused him and Rose to finish last on their Herbology projects, causing their Transfiguration classroom to become a fight for seats. It also didn't help that the Slytherins had a free period while the Gryffindors were in class and always got first pick on the seats.

Albus pointed to the empty seat next to Jenna Takahashi and Veronica Entwhistle and said, "Hey, look, a girl. Go talk to her about Todd."

"Shhhhh!" Rose hissed desperately. "Don't be so loud!"

Rose took a seat next to the two Gryffindor girls, and Albus scoped out the room for the remaining seats. At the back of the classroom he spotted Garry and Trevor, and towards the middle he saw a seat next to two Slytherin boys. He decided he'd rather take his chances with the Slytherin boys and sat next to him. Besides, now that James was no longer able to torment him into thinking he belonged in the Slytherin House, Albus wasn't nearly as scared about associating with them. Albus sat next to the two Slytherins, and they glanced over at him coldly.

"Hello," Albus said as pleasantly as he could. "I'm Albus Potter."

One of the boys smirked, and suddenly he looked familiar. "We know." Then, Albus remembered his and Rose's parents pointing him out at Platform 9 ¾, and Rose commenting on him during the sorting ceremony. "I'm Scorpius Malfoy."

"I'm Drake Urquhart," the boy next to him said. "So what makes a Gryffindor want to sit next to the likes of us?" He sounded sarcastic, but interested.

"The other option was them," Albus said, pointing at Garry and Trevor. Scorpius and Drake turned around to look, just in time to see that Trevor had stuck both his and Garry's wands in his mouth and was making walrus noises. Drake and Scorpius glanced at each other with wide eyes.

"You made the right the choice," Scorpius said.

Drake coughed into his sleeve. "Clearly."

At that moment, Professor Clearwater walked into the room and the students settled down. Clearwater reached into a drawer in his desk and pulled out a small square cage with a tiny brown mouse inside. He pulled out the mouse and placed it on his desk. "Observe," he said. Then, before the mouse realized what was happening and could run away, Clearwater took out his wand and tapped the mouse's head ever so lightly. "_Flintifors_." The mouse let out a small squeak, and then it spread out into a flat, rectangular matchbox. Transfiguration was Albus's favorite class because it never failed to stun the students into silence. He always felt bad for the small creatures they transfigured into inanimate objects, but he generally got past it quickly.

"Today we are transfiguring mice into matchboxes," Professor Clearwater said as he passed out cages of mice to each table. "You've heard the incantation. Whoever manages to transfigure their mouse into a matchbox first gets this vampire figurine." He held up a tiny plastic vampire, which hissed at the class and then morphed into a bat. The prize was a little lame, but the spirit of competition was strong.

Drake opened their cage and pulled out a speckled gray mouse. "Hey, this little guy's cute."

Scorpius sighed as he pulled his squirmy white mouse out. "Don't make this harder than it is." He pulled out his wand and tried the spell. "_Flintifors_." One of the mouse's whiskers caught fire, and it jumped off the table and scampered away. "Damn it." The blonde boy dropped to the ground to try and follow his project across the classroom on all fours.

Albus took the last mouse out of the cage and smiled at it. The little rodent started sniffing at his fingers and squeaking with interest. It was a shame he'd have to transfigure it away soon. He looked to his left and saw that Drake's mouse was crawling up his arm and around his shoulders. Drake noticed Albus staring. "I think I'm going to call him Scamp. It's fitting, isn't it?" Scamp crawled around to his other hand and squeaked with delight.

Albus took another look at his patchy brown mouse and frowned. Names made the attachment to their transfiguration guinea pigs (or in this case, mice) much greater. "How can you name him if you're just going to transfigure him away?" he asked.

Drake shrugged. "If I like them I have Clearwater transfigure them back for me. He thinks it's silly, but I love animals." He drew out his wand and tapped Scamp. "Let's hope I don't hurt the little guy. _Flintifors_." Scamp squashed into the correct shape, but he still was covered in fur and had a tail to wiggle.

Scorpius came back with his white mouse and plopped it back on the table. "Here goes nothing. _Flintifors_." The mouse shrieked and scampered away again. "I wonder if I can get away with swapping him with a real matchbox."

"You have one on you?" Drake asked.

Scorpius sighed. "Good point." He got up and followed his mouse across the classroom again.

Albus grabbed his wand and tried the spell himself. After a few tries, Albus had barely made an impact on his mouse's appearance and he was about ready to give up.

"Excuse me," said a voice which broke his concentration. Albus looked up and frowned. He moved his chair to make way for Garry and his matchbox.

After he had made his way to the front, Drake commented, "Maybe you would have been better off sitting with them."

They looked up front to see Clearwater give the vampire figurine to Garry. "Everyone, I am pleased to announce that our contest is officially over. I know Garry may have been the first to complete this task, but do not give up! This is one of the spells that might show up on your quiz next week." The class groaned.

Scorpius returned once again with his mouse. Eventually the three of them completed their transfigurations and showed them to Clearwater at the front of the classroom. Before they left, Drake made sure Scamp could revert to his natural form, and the little guy squeaked painfully up to him. "Don't worry, little guy. It's over now."

As Scorpius and Drake left the classroom, Albus stayed behind to wait for Rose. "So how was talking about boys with other girls, for a change?" he asked.

"Jenna and Veronica like him, too," Rose groaned. "How was sitting with the Slytherins?"

Albus shrugged. "Really not nearly as terrible as you would think. They actually seemed like normal people."

Rose snorted and crossed her arms. "But you were sitting with Scorpius Malfoy. Our parents are enemies. You really shouldn't say nice things about him."

Albus rolled his eyes. "You know, I get why you hate Shaelyn, because she over reacts about everything, and I get why you hate Garry, because he's an idiot yet somehow the smartest person in our year, but I really don't get why you hate Scorpius."

"He's a _Malfoy_," Rose exclaimed. "The hatred is in our blood. It runs through our _veins_." She pulled her sleeve up to stroke the very visible veins on her pale skin for emphasis. Sometimes Albus really didn't understand Rose. She always judged based off of her first impression, but the only thing particularly interesting about the first time they'd seen Scorpius is that his Uncle Ron had told her she wasn't allowed to marry a pureblood.

"If you say so."

Accompanied by Rose, Albus returned to the Gryffindor dormitories with his Bouncing-Bulb-o-Lantern in hand in a weirdly good mood. Luckily for him, he didn't need Rose's approval for his new friends. Hatred may be in her blood, but it wasn't in his.

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**I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

**Curious on how Scorpius is doing? Want to delve back into the mind of Rose? Or are you interested in OC characters like Mariah or Drake? Let me know if there's a certain character's point of view you want to see.**

**And, like always, don't forget to review.**


	8. Circumstances

**Thanks for the review OkieDokieLoki! I'd already started writing this chapter by the time of your review, but as requested the next chapter will be from Scorpius's perspective. I'm still working on setting up the characters, but I will definitely work on delving deeper into the characters minds as this story goes on. Thanks for your suggestions and support! :)**

**Disclaimer: This is my interpretation of the next generation and this is by no means canon.**

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**When Everything Changes**

**Chapter 8**

**Circumstances**

Mariah opened her eyes to see the blurred image of patterned orange curtains. She turned her head and glanced at the side table next to the bed she was in and saw a letter. She guessed her owl Berry had delivered it while she was asleep. Mariah yawned and grabbed her Anti-Blur Eye Drops so she could read the letter. After a few seconds, her eyes adjusted and she opened the envelope.

_Dear Mariah,_

_Your father and I miss you dearly. We haven't quite gotten used to the empty nest! If you ever change your mind about Hogwarts, we would love to have you back at home. I know your father and I went to Hogwarts, and your brother and sister are there now, but you shouldn't feel like you need to be there too. Make sure you keep up with all your lessons. Being sick is no reason to get behind in school. Know that your father and I will pull you out as soon as that becomes an issue._

_All seriousness aside, we hope that you have been enjoying school so far. Hogwarts was some of the best years of my life._

_Love,_

_Mum_

Mariah groaned and tossed the letter back onto the side table. The curtains shifted and Hannah poked her head in. "Hello! Are you feeling any better today?" she asked cheerily. Mariah had gotten to know Hannah very well through her trips to the Hospital Wing over the past months. During her first stay on the second week of school, they'd discovered that they were both Hufflepuffs and really hit it off.

"Yeah," Mariah said. "I'm still kind of sore, but I'm breathing fine."

"Good!" Hannah handed Mariah a sparkling purple potion. "Drink this up and you should be ready to get out of here." Mariah nodded and drank the potion. It was very bitter and made her gag, but it helped ease the pain in her joints. Hannah's eyes shifted to the letter Mariah had tossed and picked it up. "Did you read your letter?" she asked. "Berry was very keen on delivering it to you despite my attitude about owls in the Hospital Wing."

Mariah took the letter back from Hannah. "Mum's just trying to convince me to go home again," she said dully. "I'm sick of it."

"Ah, it's a pun!" Hannah laughed at first, but then see saw Mariah's expression. She sighed and sat at the foot of her bed. "You know she's just worried about you."

Mariah crossed her arms. "I can't learn magic if I'm not at Hogwarts. She knows that."

"Sometimes health is more important than magic," Hannah replied. She pat her on the knee and then left Mariah to be alone.

Mariah closed the curtain to change back into her Hogwarts uniform, thinking angrily about her situation. Adults could never understand. To them it was all about her safety, but she just wanted to live a normal life. "Nothing is more important than magic," she muttered to herself.

As she left, she noticed Hannah go back to change the curtains to a less festive color. Mariah sighed. She had hoped to get better before the end of Halloween, but she was too late. She made her way down the tower and into the dungeons so she could catch up on the Potions lesson she had missed.

When Mariah reached the dungeons she shivered. She never liked the trek through this part of the castle. As soon as she had reached the underground the hallways had become colder. There was weird gunk growing out of the cracks in the walls, and when she looked up the ceiling had an eerie shimmer. It almost looked like it was moving. The walk to Potions always made her thankful that she hadn't been sorted into Slytherin. The Hufflepuff common room was also underground, but it was nowhere near the dungeons and very warm.

Soon enough, Mariah reached the end of the hallway and found the entrance to the Potions classroom. Mariah walked to the front of the classroom where she found Professor Kettleburn, and to her surprise, Albus. She was happy to see Albus, but confused. "Ah, there you are!" Kettleburn exclaimed. "I was beginning to worry I'd scheduled this time with Albus for nothing."

"I'm so sorry, I didn't realize Professor Kettleburn would make you come in," Mariah apologized. Albus had never been to her make-up lessons before, but she guessed it was only a matter of time. Poor Albus had probably been struggling to finish his assignments all by himself.

To her surprise, Albus smiled. "You missing class meant I could sleep in on Wednesday. Even coming in on a Saturday afternoon is worth that." Mariah felt her guilt ease. For some reason she really cared about what Albus thought. He was one of the nicer people she'd met at Hogwarts, and although she had missed many classes Albus never seemed bothered by it. Every time she returned to class, there was never any question of where she'd been or if she really was sick. Instead, they'd just picked up right back where they'd left off as if she'd never even been gone.

"I hope this arrangement for today is alright with you, Mariah," Professor Kettleburn said as he brought his fingers together nervously. "Every time I tried putting Albus in a group of three someone ended up left out on the actual potion making process. I figured that this would be the best arrangement for now."

"No, it's fine. Having a partner is actually nice." Mariah smiled at Albus, and he smiled back. It was good to see him again.

They were instructed to turn to page one hundred, where they found a list of instructions for the Wideye Potion. "I found this potion the most useful when I was studying at Hogwarts," Kettleburn said shyly. "When I was studying for my NEWTs I took this potion almost every night for a week so sleep couldn't get in the way." A tiny grin spread across his face.

"So it keeps you from falling asleep," Mariah said.

Kettleburn smiled and adjusted his glasses. "Ah, very good Mariah! Five points to Hufflepuff." Mariah grinned and glanced at Albus who was rolling his eyes. Whenever students said particularly intelligent things in class the professor would award them with points for the House Cup. They usually wouldn't do it during make-up lessons, but Kettleburn liked to treat his make-up lessons exactly like the real ones. "The Wideye Potion is also known as the Awakening Potion. Like you said, it prevents the user from falling asleep. It's also very useful if you need to awaken someone from a deep sleep, and can counteract the Draught of Living Death, which you'll learn how to concoct in your sixth year, should you pass your OWLs."

"Is that from Snow White?" Mariah asked. "The Draught of Living Death, I mean."

Albus cocked his head. "Snow White?"

"You know about Snow White?" Kettleburn asked happily. "Most wizards don't know the Muggle fairy tales."

Mariah nodded excitedly. "My mum's best friend is a muggleborn, so whenever she babysat me she'd read them to me."

"Most Muggle fairy tales aren't based on fact, but Snow White was written before the Statute of Secrecy," he explained. "I do suppose it's possible that the author of story had heard about the Draught of Living Death. It sounds like you should sign up for the Muggle Studies class your third year."

Mariah shrugged. "Yeah, maybe."

"Anyways," Kettleburn continued, "the Wideye Potion is precisely the reason why witches and wizards can never fall into an irreversible coma. Fascinating, isn't it?"

"Never?" Mariah gazed at the drawing of a vial of the potion in her textbook, enchanted. Health advances in the wizarding world were miles ahead of the Muggle world. As tough as things got for her, she was always thankful she hadn't been born a Muggle. A hand nudged her shoulder and she jumped.

"Are you ready to start?" Albus asked with a smile. His green eyes were soft and comforting.

After a second, Mariah snapped out of her trance. "Yeah, of course." She smiled back.

Mariah and Albus worked diligently on their potion. She liked to think that she'd lucked out on partners. Albus wasn't temperamental, he didn't goof around, and he had a decent head on his shoulders. Sure, he wasn't a Ravenclaw, but he was smart and easy to work with. Some people she knew were having major issues with their partners. By the end of the hour, Mariah and Albus had produced a sizzling green potion.

"Woah, why is it still moving?" Mariah poked her hand inside the potion, which was expectantly cool to the touch.

Kettleburn waved his wand and conjured a spider. Fear shot through Mariah's body, and she squeaked and took a step back. She covered her mouth and blushed, embarrassed that she'd made that noise. She hated showing weakness in front of other people. "Not to worry! He's asleep." Mariah took a closer look at the spider and saw it wasn't moving. "Now, let's see if this works." Kettleburn used a pipette to draw out the potion and splashed one drop on the spider's head. The spider's body shivered and then slowly started to gain mobility. "Do you see that?" Mariah nodded. "That shiver is from the potion. The movement in the potion makes it easier to spread throughout the subject's body." At that moment the spider gained its full mobility and started to make its escape. Mariah let out another squeak, but before it could scurry away Kettleburn captured it with a clear jar. "Any other questions?" He looked expectantly at Mariah and Albus as if he had hours more of information to tell.

Albus shrugged. "No, I'm good." Mariah nodded in agreement.

"Alright then," Kettleburn said. "That's it for today. I hope to see you on Monday."

"Thanks!" Mariah and Albus waved goodbye to their professor and exited the classroom.

When they had reached the main floor, Mariah turned into a hallway headed towards the kitchen. "Hey, where are you going?" Albus asked.

Mariah turned around and raised an eyebrow. "I'm going back to the Hufflepuff common room," she replied. "Where else?"

Albus lifted his arm up and scratched the back of his head shyly. "It's a pretty nice day out. I was going to fly with some friends if you want to join."

"Oh." Mariah looked down at her feet. "Like Quidditch?"

Albus shook his head. "No, we don't have enough people for that. We were just going to fly around the castle and maybe play catch. You want to come?" he asked.

"I do," Mariah said awkwardly, "but I have a confession to make."

Albus raised an eyebrow. "Okay?" A frog caught her throat and she looked down again. "What?" He sounded more confused than curious.

_Oh, God, _she thought to herself. _He probably thinks I don't want to._ Mariah grasped a strand of her thick hair and twirled it in her finger. "It's just that I've never been on a broom before."

His eyes widened. "Are you serious?" She nodded nervously. "I thought your parents were magical…"

"They are," Mariah said slowly.

"…and all the first years have to take flying lessons!" he exclaimed.

"I get excused from that, actually," Mariah explained. "My brother and sister were really in to it when we were younger, but my parents never let me."

"That's not fair," Albus commented.

"No, it's not," Mariah agreed.

"Why can't you fly?" he asked.

Mariah exhaled slowly to try and calm her nerves. She didn't like talking about what she couldn't do. "It's not so much that I'm physically incapable of it," she said, frustration seeping from her voice. "It's just probably not a very good idea."

Albus cocked his head to the side. "Why wouldn't it be a good idea?" Mariah gave him a look, and an expression of realization took shape on his face. "Oh. Yeah that makes sense."

"Yeah." Mariah started to turn around to head back to her common room, but Albus stopped her again.

"Wait!"

"What?"

"You can ride on the back of my broom," he said. "Since we're not actually playing Quidditch and just flying around it shouldn't be too rough on you."

Mariah blinked. "Really?" _Woah_. She'd never flown anywhere before, but she'd heard it felt amazing. "That sounds awesome."

"Cool." Albus turned his wrist to check the time. "Oh! We better hurry. I told them I'd be there five minutes ago. Can you run?" Mariah nodded, and the two of them made their way to the Quidditch Pitch.

When they reached their destination, Mariah was extremely surprised. She'd expected Albus's friends to also be Gryffindors, but instead the two boys waiting for them donned Slytherin robes. "I thought you hung out with Rose," she said.

"Usually I do," Albus replied, "but these are new friends, and Rose hates them. You don't have a problem with Slytherins, do you?"

The fact that Rose hated them disturbed Mariah, but she shook her head anyways. "Nope. I'm just surprised." According her siblings, Gryffindors and Slytherins never associated with each other. Either they were liars, or Albus was even friendlier than she had originally thought.

"Oi! Potter!" The boy with thick brown hair lifted his arm and shouted loudly. "You're late!"

"I invited someone!" Albus called back. When they reached the two Slytherins Mariah had to take a moment to catch her breath. "This is Mariah Cornfoot."

"Hello," she said.

"Nice to meet you." The pale blonde boy shook Mariah's hand. "Scorpius Malfoy."

"Drake Urquhart," the brown haired boy said. He looked up and a grin spread across his face. Mariah followed his gaze to see a black owl headed towards them. Drake extended his arm and it landed with ease. "This is Twister. I hope you don't mind if he comes along." The owl hooted and glanced around at Scorpius, Albus, and Mariah with bright yellow eyes. "I didn't steal enough brooms for all four of us, though…" he said, glancing at Mariah.

"She's flying with me," Albus said. The three boys mounted their brooms and Mariah hopped on the back of Albus's. "Hold on tight. We're going up now." Mariah nodded and wrapped her arms around his torso.

Looking down, she saw their feet lift from the grass, and felt her body slip ever so slightly from the broom. "Oh my God!" She held on tighter to Albus, shut her eyes, and started screaming. She heard laughter from the boys, and would have normally gotten mad except for the fact that she was way too scared to have any kind of feelings about anyone. "Bring me down! Bring me down!"

"Aw, come on, Mariah!" Drake called. She opened her eyes, wary to not look at the ground. "It's so fun." Twister was circling around him, anxious to be joined.

"No, take me down!" she screamed.

Albus, Drake, and Scorpius exchanged a look. "Yeah, I can take you down," Albus said. He pointed the broom down towards an entrance to the castle, and Mariah closed her eyes again. She felt the wind catch her hair and in an instant it was over. Her feet touched the ground, and she shakily took herself off the broom. "Hey, are you okay?" Mariah nodded, but didn't look at him in the eye. "Hey, Mariah, I'm sorry I made you try."

"It's okay," she choked.

"No, it's not." Mariah stayed silent. "I just had this feeling that you'd like it."

"What made you think something like that?" she asked.

Albus's eyes shifted and he blushed a little. "I had a dream that we were playing Quidditch against each other. You know, like a real game."

"What?"

"Oh, not that I dream about you, if that's weird. I don't." Mariah did not react to this. "I don't know, it was just so vivid. I mean, I know it was just a dream, but I was just figured everyone likes flying anyways. I just assumed…Sorry. I'd better get back to them." Mariah nodded, and Albus mounted his broom and flew away.

Then she turned around and ran back into the castle. She ran through the hallways and didn't stop until she got back to the Hufflepuff dormitories. Once inside, she jumped onto her bed and stuffed her head into her pillow to stop herself from crying. Her whole life, every time she wanted to do something fun, her mother prevented it from happening, but the one time she actually wanted to do something with no one to stop her, she couldn't do it.

Mariah opened the drawer next to her bed and found a scroll of parchment. She was about to write home to her parents about what happened, but then she realized she couldn't do it. If her parents found out she was struggling, they'd pull her out of school immediately. Mariah crumpled the parchment and threw it back into the drawer. There was no point in talking to anyone about it anyways. No one could help her.

When she finally calmed down, Mariah stared at the blank wall where a window would be had the Hufflepuff dormitories been above ground. Curiosity hit her, and she uncrumpled the parchment and pulled out a quill. She filled in a thick black border with a cross in the center to mimic the windows in her home. When she had finished she hung it up and sat back on her bed to observe her work. From the bottom right of the picture, a tiny girl with Mariah's same curly black hair flew across to the the upper left side on a broom. She watched the animation take its course and took a deep breath. _Maybe one day…_

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'm in the middle of midterms so I might be a little slow on updating the next chapter, but I'll do my best.**


	9. It's Not Stalking If It's For Research

**I had a little bit of writer's block around halfway in, but I'm glad I pushed through. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: The character personalities are mine, but the magical world around them is not.**

* * *

**When Everything Changes**

**Chapter 9**

**It's Not Stalking If It's For Research**

Students of all years sat on opposite sides of chessboards, each heavily concentrated on their games. Scorpius stared at the board for a moment, carefully contemplating his next move. "Bishop to D4." The white piece slide across the board, and struck down the black pawn in its place.

"Crap." On the other side of the board Drake stretched his arms as he stared at the pieces. Scorpius could guess his plan was to use the pawn to get rid of his knight in the next move, but unfortunately for him Scorpius had a keen eye when it came to chess. "Queen to C5." As the black queen slid to her specified place, Scorpius smirked. _This is too easy_. As he was about to make his move, a flash of blonde hair crossed his peripheral vision and he hesitated. "Hey, Earth to Scorpius," Drake called, waving his arms so he would see.

"Oh, sorry," Scorpius said, distracted. "I forfeit."

Drake crossed his arms and frowned. "You can't forfeit. Besides, the only reason why I'm even in this stupid chess tournament is because you made me come with you."

"Alright, fine," Scorpius said as he stood up. "King to C2." The white king looked up at him and glared as he crossed over to his new space.

"Oh!" A huge grin spread on Drake's face and he shouted excitedly, "Queen to C2, Queen to C2!" His queen strolled across the board and clobbered Scorpius's king. "I won! I actually beat you. Wait…" A look of disappointment spread across Drake's face. "You set me up."

Scorpius shrugged. "You gotta do what you gotta do."

"Oh, come on!" Drake exclaimed. "If you're 'researching' again I'm coming too."

"Ooh, sorry you have a chess tournament to compete in."

"You know what, Scorpius? I really do hate you sometimes." Those were the rules. All competitors had to stay in the chess tournament for as long as possible with no forfeits allowed. Scorpius had intended on Drake to be his stepping stone to victory, but as it turned out, Shaelyn Peters wasn't nearly as good of a chess player as he'd expected. For some reason when he'd learned she was part of the chess club he'd envisioned them meeting in the final round. Then maybe she'd be forced to talk to him.

Scorpius made his way down the corridor away from the tournament, hoping not to draw attention to himself. That was the main reason why he hadn't brought Drake along with him this time. Every time they ever came anywhere close to finding out more about her, Drake had to ruin it somehow. He tended to get distracted and start babbling on really loudly to Scorpius about something irrelevant. Then Shaelyn would notice and they'd have to make up some excuse about what they were doing.

So far Scorpius had not discovered much, but ever since he had learned of her potential risk towards Slytherin he'd been anxious to find out more. Shaelyn generally didn't surround herself with friends, so after he'd crashed into her on the way to Transfiguration a several weeks before he'd hoped it'd be easy to get to know her. Scorpius had tried the routine route of extending his own friendship—which she should have appreciated considering the fact that she didn't seem to have any—but she had rudely rejected him due to his pureblooded Slytherin nature.

For a while he'd tried sitting next to her in Charms and Transfiguration, but at a certain point people had started to notice. All he'd gotten out of those attempts were nasty looks from Shaelyn and a few giggles from Slytherin girls who thought he had a crush on her. Being close enough to hear her speak, he'd heard her rant about Rose Weasley a few times, but that never really made sense to him.

He didn't ever get a chance to talk to her during their Flying lessons either. He had noticed, however, that even though Madam Jones liked to mix up the teams as both Gryffindor and Slytherin when they practiced Quidditch, Shaelyn rarely passed the Quaffle to a Slytherin teammate. She also rarely passed the Quaffle to Rose Weasley. She got along well with Garry Jordon, but barely seemed to talk to anyone once class was over. Any kind of friendship she seemed to have was hollow and unmeaningful.

Scorpius saw Shaelyn turn a corner, and suddenly he realized where she was going. _The Owlery!_ he thought excitedly. _This is perfect. _It would be easy enough to pretend he was planning on delivering another letter to his family without being suspected of following her. It was a relief that he now had a good excuse in case she questioned him. Scorpius pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill and quickly scrawled a note to his brother.

_Chamaeleon,_

_Your Quidditch had better be ready because I'm coming home soon._

_-Scorpius_

He folded up the parchment and stuffed it into his robes. Chamaeleon would be confused by the short letter, but he'd forget about it by the time Scorpius came home for Christmas in a few weeks. Scorpius ran ahead to catch up with Shaelyn.

"Hey!" Shaelyn hesitated when she heard Scorpius's voice, looking a little colder than usual. "I see you're going to the Owlery," he said conversationally.

"Yup." Sometimes Scorpius wished Shaelyn would at least humor him. She always seemed to hold back. He could never tell if it was because he was a Slytherin or because he was a person (seeing as she seemed to hate almost everyone).

"I'm going there, too," he said. "I'm sending something to my brother. What about you?" It was probably her parents. Hogwarts students for the most part only ever wrote to family members. Every once and a while someone wrote to a Muggle friend, but that was very rare.

Shaelyn shrugged and didn't look back at Scorpius. "I don't really think it's any of your business who I write to." For a few minutes the two of them stayed silent. She was very difficult to talk to. After thinking for a while he decided to just change the subject. If she had been even the slightest bit interested in talking about what she wrote she wouldn't have said that.

"I'm really excited to go home for Christmas, aren't you?" Scorpius said. "I always play Quidditch with my family, and every few years we go on a nice trip. One year we went to France for Christmas and it was absolutely amazing!"

To his surprise, instead of joining in on his excitement she frowned. "I'm staying at school over Christmas," she said. "My family—" She stopped herself. "I'm not going home. That's also none of your business." Scorpius gave her a funny look. It was definitely weird that she wasn't going home, or at the very least excited at the prospect of not having class for a few weeks. Everyone he'd already talked to about break had gushed in excitement, but she was the only person who was negative about it.

When they reached the Owlery Shaelyn crossed the room to search for the Hogwarts-owned owls. "Crap."

"What?" Scorpius asked as he casually made his way towards his own owl.

"All the public owls are already out," she moaned. "Now I need to walk all the way up here again later."

A spark went off in Scorpius's head and he grinned. "Use Twister!" he called.

Shaelyn glanced over at Scorpius. "Who?"

"Drake's owl. He won't even notice. He never sends mail."

Shaelyn smirked and strolled across the room back towards Scorpius. "Nice. Offering your friend's help instead of your own," she said sarcastically as she crossed her arms.

"Hey, I need to send a letter, too."

"Fine. Which one's Twister?"

Scorpius gestured towards the owl perched next to his own and Shaelyn put her letter in its beak. She watched as Twister leaped into the air and flew out a window. Scorpius called out "You're welcome!" as she left, but she made no response. Once she was gone, Scorpius looked back up at the windows expectantly. After a few seconds Twister flew back inside and Scorpius whistled to get his attention. The owl spotted him and dropped the envelope in his hands. Scorpius smirked. Drake's love of animals had seemed random at first, but after a while of hanging out with him Scorpius had realized something. Drake didn't like just any animals—he liked unique animals. Twister, of course, had gotten his name from his flight patterns. He started every flight by gliding in circles, which meant that the few times he was used to send mail he moved in and out of the Owlery continuously. Twister landed again on his perch as Scorpius opened the envelope addressed to "Mum and Dad."

_Please let me come home. I know you're mad, but it's not my fault. If I come back I promise nothing out of the ordinary will happen. At school I'm learning how to control my magic, and if I can control it that means I can suppress it, too._

_3 Shaelyn_

Scorpius felt his heart sink a little bit. That was definitely not what he had been expecting. He slowly folded the letter back and placed it back in the envelope. He gave it back to Twister, who hooted and once again flew away. Scorpius stared at the ground wondering what the letter meant. His 'research' hadn't answered any of his questions. It had only given him more.

Scorpius made his way back to the chess tournament, hoping that Drake would still be there. When he had returned he scanned the mostly empty room and spotted Drake heavily concentrating on his pieces. His opponent was Ravenclaw Harvey Nott, who appeared to be extremely aggravated. Drake opened his mouth as if to speak, and then closed it again. Scorpius smirked. The only reason Drake would have made it that long into the tournament is if he took a ridiculous amount of time to make each move.

"Any day now!" Harvey Nott exclaimed.

"Hmm…." Drake tensed his forehead as if he was concentrating really hard. "Knight…" His one remaining knight glanced up at him hopefully, anxious to move. "No. No that's not right." Drake crossed his arms. Nott cleared his throat loudly. "Alright, alright, I'm going!" Drake exclaimed. "Knight to G3." The knight glanced at the spaces in front of him, at a loss of what to do.

"The knight can't move that many spaces, idiot!"

"Okay," Drake said as he bit his lip. "How about F3?"

The knight angrily trotted over, just in time for Nott to say "Bishop to F3" and eliminate his piece.

"Agh!" Drake moaned and pulled his hair. "Can I _please_ forfeit?"

Nott crossed his arms and scowled. "Don't look at me. If I made the rules we would have played timed chess."

Scorpius crossed the room to reach Drake's table. "Hey, just move that pawn to E3."

Drake looked up at Scorpius and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Just trust me." Drake shrugged and the pawn moved forward one space.

Nott looked at Scorpius with wide eyes. "Thank you! Bishop to D1." The bishop jogged across the three spaces and knocked out Drake's king. "Finally!" He stood up and went to the front of the room to be assigned his next opponent.

Drake looked up at Scorpius with tired eyes, and Scorpius smirked. "You actually could've gotten rid of his bishop with the same pawn, but I figured I'd show mercy on you instead."

"I hate wizard's chess. I never want to play this bloody game ever again." Scorpius believed it. Drake was not one to focus for long periods of time and actually be happy about it. His eyes were red from concentration, and his jaw was tense.

"Don't worry," Scorpius said. "We don't ever have to come here again."

"Seriously?" Scorpius nodded. Drake stood and looked up at the ceiling. "There is a god!"

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "Come on." It was getting late, so the two made their way down to the Great Hall, hoping that dinner would have already started.

When they arrived, the Slytherin table was mostly full and Headmaster Flitwick was finishing the weekly announcements. Scorpius noticed Zephyr at the far end of the table and took the seats across from her.

"Hey, Scorpius! Long time no see." Zephyr smiled and Drake blushed. Noticing him, Zephyr giggled and brushed a hand through her long ash brown hair. "I see you brought your cute friend." Drake laughed anxiously and stared at his empty plate. Scorpius and Zephyr glanced at each other knowingly and rolled their eyes. Scorpius rarely hung out with his cousin at school since Drake tended to get uncomfortable and sweaty around her. She didn't actually like him back, but she loved to tease him about it. "So are you coming to my Quidditch game next weekend?"

"Yeah, of course." Scorpius had never formally congratulated Zephyr on making the Slytherin Quidditch team. He hadn't made it to very many games, but he knew he couldn't miss the Slytherin versus Gryffindor game. He couldn't wait to rub it into Albus's face when Slytherin won.

Soon enough, buffet plates materialized on the tables and they dug in. Eventually Zephyr left to go to the girl's lavatory and Drake was able to speak again. "So did you find out anything useful without me?" he asked, still annoyed that he'd been forced into a chess tournament. Scorpius hesitated, trying to figure out exactly what to say. Drake's eyes lit up with excitement. "So you did find something!" he exclaimed.

"Yes and no," he said slowly. "I'm not really sure if it means anything, but I managed to get ahold of a letter Shaelyn sent to her parents." Scorpius recited what he remembered from the letter, and Drake's eyes grew larger with curiosity.

"Huh. I guess she's a muggleborn," he said unsurely.

"Yeah, obviously, but if her parents were resentful about it they wouldn't have sent her to Hogwarts," Scorpius replied.

Right then, Zephyr came back from the lavatory. "What's this about a muggleborn?" she asked. Drake looked back down at his plate, now filled with mashed potatoes.

"Nothing." He didn't need everyone to know what he'd done. The gossip would be terrible.

Zephyr crossed her arms. "Well I don't know what you're talking about, but I'm pretty sure all wizards are required to get magical training."

"On the Hogwarts letter you have the option to turn them down," Scorpius replied. "I'm sure it's rare, but parents could easily do that."

Zephyr shook her head. "You can turn down Hogwarts, but you still need to go somewhere. There are other boarding schools like Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, too. Plus there are schools for wizards with special powers, like seers. I've also heard of people homeschooling their kids, but that can obviously only be done if the parents are also wizards. Either way, all wizards need training. Otherwise you keep doing accidental magic your entire life."

Scorpius raised an eyebrow. "Accidental magic?" he asked.

Zephyr rested her head on her hand, trying to think of a better way to explain it. "It's like… Do you remember when you were seven and it was the winter and you started crying from being in the cold for too long?"

He scowled. "Yeah, thanks for reminding me."

Zephyr shrugged. "Well, the snow around you started to melt, and it drew a little bit of Muggle attention. If a wizard never learns how to control their magic that just keeps happening."

"I guess that makes sense," Scorpius replied. He paused for a second. "Hey, this is random, but did you ever hear about Slytherin Probation?"

To his disappointment, she shook her head. "I think Professor Fawley mentioned it at some point to me. I'm pretty sure it's just an empty threat to make us behave," she said, laughing. "Anyways, I'm going back to the common room. See you later." Zephyr waved and left the Great Hall.

Drake waved back shyly and then glanced back at Scorpius. "I'm pretty sure she just disproved your entire reason for stalking Shaelyn."

Scorpius's eyes grew wide and he shushed Drake. "Quiet! You don't want someone to hear that!" Drake smirked and Scorpius frowned. "Zephyr didn't disprove anything. She just had a theory. Something weird is going on, and I'm going to figure it out."

"Yeah, yeah, okay," Drake said teasingly. "Let me know when you finally figure out how Shaelyn Peters's sob story is actually extremely relevant to the entire Slytherin community." Drake stood up to leave, and Scorpius banged his head against the table. "Was that helpful?" Drake asked sarcastically.

"No," Scorpius replied with his face still buried in the wood. He knew there had to be some kind of connection. He just didn't know what.

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**Don't forget to review! Thank you also to those of you who have favorited and followed this story. It's very encouraging :)**


	10. Dangerous Attention

**Hey, everyone! I know it was requested for me to write a Rose chapter, but this is James. I was so inspired with James during this chapter that I wrote twice the length of my first chapter posted! Don't worry, though. Rose will be coming next.**

**Disclaimer: This is a fanwork, and I am by no means making money off of this. Making money off of this would be illegal.**

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**When Everything Changes**

**Chapter 10**

**Dangerous Attention**

"Oi! Potter, we gotta go!" James awoke to the quiet hiss of McLaggen's breath in his ear. He creaked his eyes open and saw the insane grin played across his face. James scowled. He didn't exactly appreciate McLaggen's excitement over every Quidditch game. McCarver was still sitting in his bed across the room, rubbing his eyes. "The whole team is waiting for us in the common room."

James yawned. "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." He slowly got out of bed and threw on his Quidditch robes—not that he would be needing them. It's not like he was actually going to be playing. Everyone, even the alternates, were required to dress up for any practices they had the day of a game. Somehow Luke had convinced himself that members from the yearbook club might want to take pre-game pictures.

When the three of them made it to the common room the rest of the team was already waiting. They were all grinning cockily, anticipating an easy victory against the Slytherins. The three alternates on the team did not share the same excitement. James and McCarver were still feeling pretty fatigued, and Aja Sipila was clearly faking her smile. It sucked to be an alternate when the regular team members were always available to play.

The ten Gryffindors made their way to the Quidditch Pitch, grabbing their brooms on the way out. Once they had arrived, Luke whistled to get everyone's attention. "Alright, everybody! For practice today each team will consist of one Keeper, two Chasers, one Beater, and one Seeker. On my team I want Fred as Keeper, Cindy and Aja as Chasers, myself as Beater, and Potter as Seeker. Hailey will be Captain of the second team. The players will be McCarver as Keeper, Hailey and Logan as Chasers, Duncan as Beater, and Joel as Seeker." James groaned in annoyance. Of course Cindy was on his team.

Luke blew his whistle and the ten players floated high above the ground. The Quaffle was launched up into the air by means of Luke's levitation charm, and the game began. James and Joel rose up higher than the other players to scout the surrounding area for the Snitch. Below them the Chasers had already sprung into action, seamlessly carrying out strategies and intercepting passes. Luke waved his wand again and a single squirming Bludger was unleashed from its container. The iron black ball shot straight towards Luke, who bat it away towards the opposing team.

Meanwhile, Joel caught a glimpse of the Snitch and bolted away. James was startled by Joel's quick moves, and after a second of hesitation he began pursuing him. As he sped up to catch up to Joel, James heard the cheers of Cindy and Aja signaling that they had scored a goal. McCarver cussed loudly, angry with himself for not blocking the Quaffle in time. James smiled to himself, happy with the knowledge that his team was winning.

Soon enough James was neck and neck with Joel. The Snitch had finally caught his eye. James was anxious to prove himself better than Joel. If he could catch the Snitch, he knew Luke would have to rethink the positions of the team. He needed to prove he was more than just an expendable team member.

Then he heard a scream.

James instinctively swung his broom into a brake and faced the source of the noise. Cindy was falling from the top of the Quidditch Pitch along with the splintered wood that had once been her broom. Luke pulled out his wand and shouted out the incantation "_Wingardium Leviosa!_" but it was to no avail. Cindy was falling too fast, and the spell had missed. Without a moment to waste, James bolted towards her. He pressed forward on his broom and felt the wind slam against his face. He was flying faster than he ever had before.

Seconds later when he finally reached her, Cindy was mere yards above the ground. James swooped below her and grabbed her arm. Having miscalculated her weight, he was pulled off his own broom and for a frightening second he feared for his life. Cindy was screaming even more now, probably from the pain of whiplash. James tightened his grip on the handle of his broom as he dangled to the side. He willed his broom to move them slowly and safely to the ground.

When they landed Cindy immediately dropped to the ground, unable to stand from shock. The arm that James had grabbed looked a little funny and he realized it must have been dislocated from the fall. The other players from the Gryffindor team landed around them and rushed to Cindy's aid. Duncan was muttering apologies over and over having felt responsible for the accident. James heard the squeaking of the Bludger, and Fred turned around to catch it and lock it back up in its crate. Luke was the first to reach Cindy. He felt her pulse, and then stood up to address the team.

"McCarver!" he called. "Bring Cindy to the Hospital Wing." McCarver nodded and put Cindy's working arm over his shoulder to help her stand. "Potter, are you injured?"

James shook his head, his heart beating out of his chest. "No, I'm fine," he said breathlessly. "I'll help McCarver." He was about to run up to carry Cindy by her other arm, but Luke stopped him.

"Are you well enough for Chaser?" James nodded, hardly even believing his own ears. "Good. Aja, go help McCarver bring Cindy to the Hospital Wing. Potter needs to practice the Chaser formations." The tan girl rushed away to catch up with McCarver.

Hailey shot Luke a dirty look, appalled. "Are we _seriously_ still practicing? Cindy could have died!"

Luke scowled and gave her the most intense look James had ever seen. "Do you want to beat Slytherin or not?"

"Well, yeah, but—"

"But nothing. This is our most important game of the year. We aren't letting those bloody Slytherins win just because we were taken off guard." 'Taken off guard' was definitely an understatement, but no one wanted to point that out.

When no one else would, Duncan spoke up. "Luke, I know this game is important, but I seriously think we need a break after that."

Luke crossed his arms. "Of course _you _would think that."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Duncan cracked his knuckles in preparation for a fight.

"Oh, come _on_! Your entire bloody family is Slytherin. Gryffindor's loss isn't all that bad, after all, huh? When you've got your Death Eater mummy and daddy at home?" Luke growled, taunting Duncan. Duncan charged at Luke, blinded with anger.

"_Protego!_" A blue glow shot from Hailey's wand and separated Luke and Duncan with a magical invisible wall.

Luke yelled and punched the wall. "You know what? You're off the team."

"Are you fucking kidding me? I worked my ass off to get on this bloody Quidditch team." Duncan punched back at the invisible wall in response.

Luke pulled at his brown hair and groaned with frustration. "You literally hit a Bludger at one of our own players. You want me to _not_ punish you for that?"

"Well what was I supposed to do? I'm a Beater. I hit the Bludger towards a Chaser. She was supposed to dodge it."

"Yeah?" Luke yelled. "Well too bad but she didn't."

"Guys!" This time it was Joel who spoke. He still had the Golden Snitch gripped tightly in his hand. _Wait, what?_ James did a double take. Yes, Joel had in fact used the time it took for Cindy to fall to catch the Snitch. "Can we please just look at this positively?" Everyone looked at him funny. There was a way to spin this positively? "Think about it," Joel explained. "Yeah, Cindy's hurt, but Duncan made a bloody good move. If this were the real game he would have incapacitated one of the Slytherins. You can't just kick him off the team because one of our Chasers forgot to dodge."

Everyone was silent, still processing what had just been said. James scratched his head. "So," he said awkwardly, hoping to change the subject. "Are we still practicing Chaser formations?"

The five older players all looked at James as if they'd forgotten he was there, but McLaggen seemed relieved that James had brought it up. When Luke didn't say anything, Hailey spoke up. "How about we all get breakfast…" she paused, probably noticing the red hot glare coming from Luke's narrowed eyes, "and _afterwards_ we can show James the formations. When we've _all calmed down_." Luke gave his short nod of approval, and the seven of them made their way back up to the castle. He tried putting his arm around Hailey, but she pushed him off. "I'm mad at you," James heard her mutter.

He and McLaggen decided to stay a safe distance behind the team. "Is your brother always this intense?" he asked, careful to keep his voice down. He'd seen Luke get upset at his players for not executing their tactics well enough, but never like this.

McLaggen crossed his arms uncomfortably. "I don't know. He can be a little full of himself sometimes. I think the pressure's getting to him and losing one of his best players put him over the edge." James grimaced. He didn't like the idea of Cindy being an exceptionally talented player, but she was.

"You know," said James, still thinking about terror of witnessing Cindy's fall, "we really should have someone supervise our practices."

"We aren't, strictly speaking, allowed to have practices the morning of a game, actually," McLaggen replied. "That's why we get up so bloody early for them. We don't want to get caught." The whole yearbook photo thing Luke always brought up must have just been for motivation.

James gave McLaggen and inquisitive look. "Then how the bloody hell are McCarver and Aja supposed to explain Cindy?"

McLaggen shrugged. "Well, technically the only thing that's wrong with her is the dislocated shoulder, right?"

James stared at him with wide eyes. "You don't mean—"

"If it were up to me, I'd say she tripped on the stairs coming out of the common room. You grabbed her arm to stop her from falling, and _pop_ it came out. Mystery solved. Our secret practices that will keep us ahead in every game stays a secret." James didn't like it, but he knew it would be best to stay quiet. The goal was to make it to the championship game at the end of the year, and only the two highest scoring Houses made it. That afternoon would mark the second Gryffindor game of the year, and without that championship game there would only be one more. So far Gryffindor was in first place by sixty points, but he knew that could easily change after that afternoon's game.

When they reached the Great Hall, James and McLaggen were careful not to sit too close to the rest of the team. Luke and Hailey were eating next to each other with a stony silence hanging over them, and Duncan was angrily stabbing his sausages with a knife. Fred and Joel seemed a little more positive, but still relatively bleak. It was hard to enthuse animatedly about the coming game when they'd all just witnessed Cindy's fall and the fight between Luke and Duncan.

Soon enough, McCarver and Aja returned and sat across from them. James offered a light smile, but they seemed pretty down, too. Aja just sort of played with her scrambled eggs, and McCarver seemed to be using eating as an excuse not to talk. Finally, McLaggen broke the silence. "So what excuse did you use for Cindy?" he asked.

Aja put her fork down and glared at McCarver. "Genius over here said she tripped."

"Oh!" McLaggen exclaimed. "Like down the stairs or something?"

Aja shook her head. "Nope. She tripped. And dislocated her shoulder. By tripping. On flat ground."

McCarver scowled and glared back at her. "You know, it would have been a lot more believable if you didn't give me that look when we were telling Hannah."

"She's not dense, you know. She's an adult not an idiot." Aja went back to playing with her eggs. James drank some pumpkin juice so he wouldn't have to speak.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, McCarver muttered, "Congratulations on Chaser," to James.

"Yeah, thanks, man," James said. He wasn't sure if his friend was actually happy for him or not. After all, they were both alternates, and Luke had chosen him.

Aja ate a bite of her eggs and grimaced at the taste. "Look, Potter," she said with a heavy voice, "I'm happy for you—I really am—but it's just frustrating that Luke chose you. I mean, you and McCarver are both third years, so whatever, but I'm a fifth year. I've been trying to get onto this team for years and I haven't even played once. It isn't fair."

"I'm the one who actually saved Cindy—" he started to protest, but Aja interrupted him.

"I know, I get it. I do. It just sucks," Aja said. "We're like the outcasts of the Quidditch team. And you're not an outcast anymore." James frowned. It was true. Aja, McCarver, and himself had all shared a very special bond of being separated from the main players, and now that James was actually going to be in a real game they resented him. James could feel his stomach churn from anxiety. If he didn't do well in this game he'd be resented by the main players, too.

James glanced across the room at the Slytherin table. Their Quidditch team wasn't spread out. They all sat together, laughing about something one of them had said. James frowned. The Slytherins shouldn't be making jokes together and enjoying themselves. They should be cold and unfriendly. Instead that's how the Gryffindors were acting. He silently vowed to himself to absolutely crush the Slytherins in Quidditch. The Gryffindors deserved more. They deserved to win.

Hours later, James and the rest of the Gryffindor team mounted their brooms and circled around the Quidditch Pitch. Cheers from all four Houses rang out as the Slytherin team positioned themselves across from them. James felt his heart pounding and his stomach continue to do flip flops. He gulped nervously, remembering the year before when he'd poisoned Cindy into vomiting during Quidditch try-outs. He prayed he wouldn't be forced into experiencing Cindy's same embarrassment, except this time in front of the entire school and not just the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

Madam Jones rose on her broom to a height slightly below the two teams in the center of the pitch. She blew her whistle and launched the Quaffle high into the air. "Begin!" Before James even had a chance to think, all thirteen of the other players sprung into action. One of the Slytherin Chasers, a larger girl with broad shoulders, immediately swooped in and passed the Quaffle to another teammate.

"And the game begins with Slytherin anxious to get into the lead!" James recognized the voice of Louis Weasley, his part Veela cousin. Not everyone in his family was good at Quidditch, but they all loved it. Louis had mentioned his interest in commentating the games, but James never realized he'd actually been serious about it. "Goyle takes the Quaffle, passing it quickly to Smith. Wow, what a beautiful throw." James would have rolled his eyes, but he had to pay attention. This was his chance to prove himself. James pushed forward on his broom the same way he had when speeding after Cindy that morning. He zoomed past McLaggen and intercepted Smith's next pass. "Oh! And out of nowhere Potter catches up in seconds and steals the Quaffle! He better look out. Vaisey's Bludger seems to be heading straight for him." The ring of the squirming ball grew loud very quickly, and James dipped his broom lower to avoid the collision. He circled around the commentator box, and Louis winked at him. James grinned. Louis may only be a commentator, but he was definitely doing his part for Gryffindor.

"Wow! Look at that hit by Beater McLaggen. That Bludger won't be bothering the Gryffindors for a while. Potter passes the Quaffle to Oxnard, Oxnard to Potter, Potter to Oxnard, and oh—! In the nick of time Pucey blocks the goal. Montague takes the Quaffle." James cussed, and zoomed up to steal the ball from the pretty Slytherin Chaser. "What's this? Meyers seems to have spotted the Golden Snitch." _That's so soon!_ James thought desperately to himself. No one had even scored a goal, and the Slytherins already had the upper hand. "A Bludger heads straight for Oxnard. Even with her magnificently executed dodges, it still continues to trail her. What's this? Rosier hits the second Bludger straight for his teammate!" James knew he wasn't supposed to get distracted and look, but he had to see. Had Duncan's accidental destruction of Cindy's broom that morning been sabotage? Duncan's Bludger collided with the other one, and they diverged towards two Slytherin players. "Remarkable! Rosier uses the physics of the game to his advantage." A loud noise rang, and the Slytherin spectators started cheering wildly. "In all the excitement, Montague managed to score a goal. Ten points to Slytherin!"

Fred swooped under the goals and caught the falling Quaffle. He threw the ball far across the field. "After a stellar throw by Weasley, Chaser McLaggen catches the Quaffle. McLaggen passes it to Potter, and—oh no! Goyle has taken possession of the Quaffle. Not for long, though. Beater McLaggen's Bludger seems to be heading her way. Goyle passes to Montague and Bletchley bats the Bludger away just in time. Montague passes to Smith. Yes! Would you look at that? Weasley blocks the goal. Meanwhile, it seems that Meyers has lost track of the Snitch. She waits above the pitch with Cruser, scoping out the area." James felt relieved. He didn't like the idea of Slytherin with the advantage. He would have been pissed if Slytherin had won with a hundred and sixty points.

Hailey caught the Quaffle and allowed James and McLaggen to catch up to her. "It's time!" she shouted.

James and McLaggen made a triangle formation around Hailey and they started passing the Quaffle between themselves. "The Gryffindors make a Hawkshead Attacking Formation! Wow, what a strategy! The Slytherins are trying to get in but they can't intercept their passes. Above it looks like Cruser has finally caught sight of the Snitch, and Meyers is close behind. Could the game be over this soon?" James hoped not. Even if it ended up being Joel who caught the Snitch, he needed to prove himself as a valuable member of the team first. He caught the Quaffle and entered the scoring area on the Slytherin side. He threw the Quaffle, hoping to score. "Potter shoots, he doesn't score. Pucey blocks the Quaffle with the back of his broom. But look at this—Potter takes the Quaffle right back!" A loud noise rang as the ball went through the hoop. "Yes! He scores!" The Gryffindor spectators started cheering wildly.

As the game continued, James became more and more confident. He managed to score another goal, and assist with three more by his team. The score was fifty to thirty with Gryffindors in the lead. Joel was still after the Snitch, but it was proving to be peskier than usual. James still wished he'd been able to sub for Seeker, but he knew Joel was better. He didn't feel nearly as bad about it now that he'd helped advance his team.

"Cruser and Meyers are now beside each other. The game is so close to an end, with victory for either side very possible."

"Yeah, come on, Joel!" James called before zooming off again to chase the Quaffle. "You can do it!"

Joel stretched out his arm and closed the gap in between his body and his broom. As he and the Slytherin Seeker curled around one of the goalposts, Joel travelled a little faster. "Oh! Cruser catches the Snitch! Cruser catches the Snitch! Gryffindor wins!" The spectators erupted in cheers. The Slytherins tried booing, but their rude outburst was easily drowned out by the applause.

The Gryffindor players circled around close to the Gryffindor stands and reached their arms out. Their hands were met with the high-fives of dozens of Gryffindor spectators. "Whooo! Alright, James!" he heard the girlish scream of his cousin Rose.

"Party in the Gryffindor common room!" Luke screamed. Midflight, he punched Duncan on the shoulder. "Nice double Bludger hit," he said, having seemingly forgotten about their fight earlier that day.

When they landed, the entire team rushed towards the castle to get the victory party started. The whole school seemed to be running alongside them, just as excited about the victory. At the common room Luke charmed his music player to overtake the entire room with sound. Luke and Joel hoisted Duncan up on their shoulders, cheering loudly for his amazing Bludger hit. Fred brought out his stash of Butterbeer that he'd been saving and all the Gryffindors swarmed to grab one.

James grabbed a can. "Hey, McLaggen," he yelled loudly above the noise. "Does Cindy know we won?"

McLaggen grabbed his share. "Who the bloody hell cares?" he laughed. James laughed too, and they banged their Butterbeer cans together. Countless Gryffindors approached them to give their congratulations for the game, and they loved the attention.

At the end of the night, the common room was a mess. Broken red and orange streamers littered the ground, and empty Butterbeer cans lay in the corners of the room. James was the last to stay, even after McLaggen had returned to their dormitory. James just couldn't bring himself to fall asleep. He was too happy to let the next day come. _Today I am a legend…_ He lied across the couch and grinned as he watched the flames in the fireplace shimmer.

James heard a small creek erupt from the doorway, and he sat up, wondering who could be returning to the common room that late. He caught sight of fluffy blonde hair and stopped smiling. It was Cindy. She crept in quietly, probably hoping not to draw attention to herself. She appeared healthy, but she wore an odd expression that James couldn't quite place. After closing the door she turned her head and noticed him.

"You look better," James said.

"Thanks." James found this odd. Normally she would have said something obnoxious like _"Better than you"_ or _"Are you telling me that I was ugly earlier?" _but she didn't. She just said _"Thanks."_ Whatever that meant.

James offered her the last unopened Butterbeer can and she sat next to him, taking it. "In case you were wondering, we won," James said arrogantly. "It was all thanks to me, you know. I scored—"

"You saved me." Cindy still wore the strange expression. She hadn't been listening.

"I scored multiple goals—" He tried ignoring her, but it was no use. She interrupted him again.

"You _saved_ me."

James met Cindy's gaze and immediately felt uncomfortable. "I…um…I guess." Cindy continued to stare at him with her wide unblinking blue eyes. "Oh," he said desperately. "Would you look at the time! I'd better go sleep." As James carried himself up the stairs into the boy's dormitories, he couldn't help but feel Cindy's gaze pierce the back of his neck. He enjoyed the shallow attention the other Gryffindors had showered him with, but this was too personal. He fought the urge to look back. He knew Cindy was still looking.

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**I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please don't forget to review. I love to hear what people think.**


	11. Family Expectations

**Hey! I'm sorry it's been a while since my last update. I had two super late midterms this week so I've been pretty occupied.**

**Funny story, though. I've had some weird glitch with my recovery files so on Tuesday I finally decided to get some help from the Microsoft Live Chat. When the guy remote accessed my computer, he discovered my Harry Potter fanfiction folder. After making fun of me for a while, he reassured me that the last person he helped actually had a Doctor Who fanfiction, so it wasn't too embarrassing of me to have. Then after he fixed my problem he asked for my username since he's been missing out on some good fanfiction recently. Now he claims to be reading this, so here's a shout out to Mark from Microsoft! Thank you for your view.**

**Disclaimer: A lot of the character names are from JK Rowling. Hogwarts also belongs to JK Rowling. You know the drill. This is a fanfiction. Blah, blah, blah.**

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**When Everything Changes**

**Chapter 11**

**Family Expectations**

As it was already late December, the landscape of Hogwarts had grown to be increasingly white. Though the holiday break was only just starting, the professors had already begun the process of decorating the Great Hall to be ready for Christmas day. Rose had even noticed a growing number of poinsettia in the back of the greenhouse during Herbology lessons. As she prepared her trunk for the holidays, she couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment that she would miss a Hogwarts Christmas. She loved her family, but she was also nervous to return home. She knew exactly how it would go.

First, of course, her parents and brother Hugo would lovingly hug her and tell her how much they missed her. Her father would speak about Gryffindor pride, and joke that he didn't have to disown her after all since she made the family House. Hugo would interrupt and demand every detail of her stay. Rose had even considered casting a spell for him before remembering the law forbidding underage magic. Then, as she feared, her mother would ask the dreaded question of how classes were going.

Rose had entered Hogwarts expecting top marks. Her father had expressed relief that she had inherited her mother's brains, and she had worried for a second that she'd be placed in Ravenclaw instead of Gryffindor. The sorting hat had toyed with the idea, but ultimately decided her potential for bravery was greater. At first Rose had been delighted, but after Garry's countless victories in academia over her she had begun to question things. She had assumed that had she not become a Ravenclaw she would easily make top Gryffindor marks. Neither had been true. She didn't want to tell her mother that she had received several E marks that semester. She couldn't bear the thought.

The ride home on the Hogwarts Express was fairly quiet for Rose. Albus had invited her to join him in a compartment with his Slytherin friends, but she refused. Sometimes she didn't understand Albus. He had been so petrified of becoming Slytherin before the Sorting Ceremony, yet had afterwards befriended two pureblooded Slytherins. There was a huge difference between Slytherins and the rest of the school. Most students had war hero parents—or at the very least parents who feared Voldemort. The parents of Slytherins, however, did not. Malfoy and Urquhart had once been two fairly prominent names in the Death Eater community. She'd learned that from reading one of her mother's books (_You-Know-Who: A Rise to Power and Those Who Followed_ by Ulrich Belby). In fact, in school both her and Albus's parents had been enemies of Malfoy's father! Associating with a Malfoy felt especially wrong, even worse than an Urquhart.

At a certain point on the train, Rose grew bored of lounging in a compartment all by her herself. No one had cared to join her, so she realized she'd just have to join someone else. She would almost prefer to join the two Slytherin goons Albus spent time with than be alone another minute.

Rose peeked her head out the door to her compartment and saw that everyone else's doors were closed. The windows had fogged up, but if she pressed her face close enough to the glass she could make out the figures. In the compartment to her left she heard the voices of James, Fred, and the other Gryffindor Quidditch players. She was tempted to go in, but she realized she wouldn't fit in since she wasn't on the team. The next compartment over seemed to contain her cousin Molly and a few of her fellow Ravenclaws, but Rose knew she would be too intimidated to enter. Rose peeked into the compartment across from it. There she met the eyes of Heidi Chang, who also happened to be peeking _out_ the compartment. The door opened and Rose jumped back, and little embarrassed and surprised at the same time.

"Rose Weasley!" she exclaimed excitedly. "I remember you!" Rose remembered Heidi from the boats leading into Hogwarts on their first day and shuttered. Although the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws shared Astronomy and Defense Against the Dark Arts, Rose had become pretty skilled at avoiding conversations with Heidi. "I was just checking to see if the candy trolley had come. What are you doing spying on us?" she asked cheerfully.

"Just looking for a place to sit," Rose explained regretfully. There was no other non-embarrassing explanation for her actions. She had no choice but to sit with Heidi and her friends.

"No way!" Heidi shouted. "I'd expect someone as cool as you to already be in a compartment filled with admirers! You should join us." A little put off by the strange assumption of popularity on Heidi's part, Rose sat down and Heidi shut the door behind her. Once inside the compartment she felt a little relieved. Although Heidi was a little too hyper for Rose's taste, she had relatively normal friends. Lavender Peakes and John Boot, also Ravenclaws, sat with Heidi. Across from them where Rose sat were Ben Summers and Todd King.

"Hey, want to join?" Ben asked. "We're playing Heads Up." He held out a set of cards for Rose to choose from.

"What's Heads Up?" she asked. Rose had played a lot of card games with her family, like Catch the King, Exploding Snap, and Wizards Walking, but she'd never heard of that one.

"It's a Muggle game," Ben replied. "You put the card up to your head, and everyone else has to get you to guess the word. You try to guess as many as you can in thirty seconds. It's sort of like Catch Phrase." Rose had not heard of Catch Phrase either, but she understood the concept. "Lavender and Heidi showed it to some of the older Ravenclaws so now a lot of them are playing it. One of the seventh years even managed to charm the game so it can pool cards we create." Ben spread out the cards onto the table in front of them. "So far we've got twelve categories." He flipped over one of the cards to be facing up. The card read _Licorice Wands_ in a rather plain font. "So this category is probably sweets. Licorice Wands!" As soon as he said the title of the card, _Licorice Wands _faded out and was replaced with _Sugar Quills_. "Want to play?"

Rose nodded nervously. "Can someone else be a guesser first?"

"I'll do it!" Heidi raised her hand high. Ben reshuffled the cards and then spread them out again for her. The excitable girl picked and card and placed it on her forehead. The card read _Merlin's Beard_. Todd chuckled a little and began stroking his chin.

"He's probably the most famous wizard of all time," Lavender offered.

"Oh!" Heidi's eyes widened and a grin spread across her face. "Harry Potter!"

"Way older! He was a Slytherin," John shouted.

"Voldemort!"

"Medieval times old," Ben exclaimed.

Todd continued stroking his imaginary beard. "He has hair on his face."

"Hmmm, that can't be Dumbledore," Heidi said.

Rose thought hard. What did she know about Merlin? "It's an expression," she said, hoping Heidi would understand.

"He was in King Arthur's Court!" Lavender said, her voice heightened in desperation.

"Merlin!" Heidi said. "Oh! An expression! Merlin's Beard!" _Merlin's Beard_ faded and was replaced with _Galloping Gargoyles_. Todd started patting his hand on the table to a three-four beat with the first two notes hitting the table and a pause on the third. "Horses?"

"They're sort of like dragon statues," Rose said, remembering the one in front of Flitwick's office.

"Gargoyles!" Todd started up his galloping noise again. "Galloping Gargoyles!" The card changed to _Hold Your Hippogriffs_.

Despite her delay on guessing the first one, Heidi did exceptionally well. At the end of thirty seconds she had guessed seven. Ben even gave her bonus points for guessing the category of Wizard Expressions. When Rose tried she could only get one, but Ben assured her that it was normal for a first time player to have trouble.

By the time the Hogwarts Express had reached Kings Cross Station, Rose had forgotten about her fears of returning home to face her parents. Rose raced out of the train, almost forgetting her trunk, and hugged her family.

"There's my Gryffindor girl!" Ron exclaimed as they embraced. He bent down to her eye level and said very seriously, "I won't have to disown you after all."

"_Ron!_" Hermione gave him a very mean look. Then she looked back at Rose. "You should know very well that is not true. We would have been very proud of you no matter what House you were in."

Ron cracked a smile. "But we're _extra_ happy that you're a Gryffindor."

"Where's Hugo?" Rose asked, ignoring her father.

"He's very sick with Kneazle Belly," Hermione informed her, shaking her head. "Fur balls everywhere…"

"Another good excuse to get rid of that blasted animal," Ron muttered, referring to their ugly half-kneazle cat.

"Come along, now. You can tell us all about Hogwarts on the drive home." To Rose's surprise and great relief, Hermione did not ask about her class marks. Instead she allowed Rose to recount her experiences and complain about boring professors. Her parents compared them to stories from their own first year, leaving out some of the scarier details.

By Christmas Day, Rose had already settled back into being a part of the family. Rose had woken herself up by six in the morning, and was ready to open presents. She banged her fist loudly against Hugo's door and heard the muffled groan of her sick brother.

"Rosie, go back to bed," he moaned. She put her ear against the door and heard Hugo coughing. She didn't care.

"Come on, Hugo!" she yelled. "Stop being lazy for once! It's Christmas." After a few minutes Hugo opened his door to glare at Rose. "Perfect. You're up." The pair approached their parents' room and did the same.

Ron and Hermione came to the door tiredly. Ron glanced at his watch and raised an eyebrow. "Wow, Rosie. It's ten past six. You're later than usual."

Rose crossed her arms and glared at her sick brother. "It's all his fault. I was up on time." She didn't usually like getting up early, but she did on Christmas. Normally Hugo would join her in her excitement, but he was too busy coughing up fur balls to look forward to opening presents that year.

Hermione rubbed her eyes and yawned. "Alright. Ten more minutes of sleep than last year. Let's go." Rose squealed with excitement and ran downstairs to the tree. Their stockings were stuffed and packages both large and small were piled below the tree. She took a seat next to Crookshanks, who had taken up a spot on the sofa.

Soon enough, the rest of the family had made it downstairs. Hugo had wrapped himself in a soft blue blanket and sat on the other side of Crookshanks. He reached a hand out to scratch his head, and the ginger cat purred happily. Hugo coughed into a small bag and Rose scrunched her nose. "Do you really need to do that now?"

"It's not my fault I'm sick," Hugo sniffed.

"You got Kneazle Belly from Crookshanks, didn't you?" This was more of a statement than a question.

"Yeah, so?" Hugo asked defensively.

Rose rolled her eyes. "You sure aren't making an effort to avoid Crookshanks until you get better."

Hugo pulled Crookshanks onto his lap. The cat yowled, but it was ignored. "He's not sick anymore. Besides, it's not Crookshanks's fault he got me sick. That would be rude to ignore him. Isn't that right, Crookshanks?" Crookshanks ignored Hugo and stared at the cozy fire Ron had set up next to the tree.

"That's enough, you two," Hermione interrupted them. "If you don't stop arguing then there'll be no presents for either of you."

"_Mum_! That isn't fair!" Rose and Hugo shouted in unison.

"Listen to your mother," Ron told them. "Now go sort your presents."

Rose and Hugo dove into the present pile. All of Rose's had been wrapped in a green polka-dot print while Hugo's had been wrapped in paper with red and white stripes. Any other colored package they knew to place on the table in front of their parents. When the presents had been distributed Rose had been given permission to open a present first. She picked up one of the smaller packages and tore the paper. She found a container that looked almost like a jewelry box, but she knew better. Her parents would never be so daft as to buy her jewelry. Opening the box, she found a small orange feather. "A new quill?" she asked.

"It's enchanted, don't worry!" Hermione exclaimed. "It'll help you take notes in class. If you mishear your professor and write down the wrong information, it'll correct you. It doesn't work on exams because of the anti-cheating spells, but it's really useful otherwise."

Rose brightened up a little with this new piece of information. "Thanks, Mum!" Ron cleared his throat a little and Rose corrected herself. "Mum _and_ Dad." She knew Hermione had likely bought all the presents by herself, but Ron liked to pretend he had put just as much effort into buying their gifts.

Next Hugo ripped one of the larger presents open. "No way!" He turned the box around so Rose could also see. A large picture of an opening cupboard spread across the box with large red letters that read _PortoBog_. Rose was jealous. Her first present opened was a tool for school and Hugo's was a tiny modified boggart. Instead of transforming into the user's greatest fear, it would transform a small version of whatever the user imagined. Their cousins Fred and Roxanne had one, and Hugo and Rose had been jealous for ages about it. After opening several more presents, Rose had become much more satisfied with her experience.

Later that day, the family travelled through the floo network to the Burrow. Rose's Uncle Percy, Aunt Audrey, and cousins Molly and Lucy were already there. They exchanged awkward pleasantries before joining Rose's grandparents in the dining room to help set up. Molly and Lucy were quite a bit older than Rose, which made it harder for them to get along. Molly was a fifth year Ravenclaw and liked to discuss topics like the need of a Magical to Muggle Embassy, the controversial implications of love potions, and any number of other things that Rose was too young to understand. Molly was very similar to Uncle Percy in that she loved politics. Lucy, on the other hand, didn't talk much. She was a fourth year Hufflepuff and…Rose didn't know. Since Lucy never seemed to talk, Rose really didn't know much about her.

Next Rose's Uncle George, Aunt Angelina, and her cousins Fred and Roxanne came through the fire place. This was much more exciting to her. Rose and Hugo saw Fred and Roxanne a lot since their dads owned Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes together.

"Oi! Rose, Hugo! Guess what Mum and Dad got me," Fred exclaimed. He and Roxanne spread out a mini Quidditch Pitch on the dining room table. They took turns designing their dream teams and watching them play. Rose felt really jealous of Fred and Roxanne. George gave the best gifts, but with the amount of people in the Weasley family, it was unreasonable to expect a gift from every aunt and uncle. Grandma Molly somehow still managed to knit sweaters for every Weasley, though. Rose and Hugo sometimes joked that she started making the next year's sweaters as soon as Christmas ended.

Much later, the Potters arrived. Grandma Molly rushed to the fireplace and just about showered Harry and Ginny with hugs and kisses. During every family gathering it was always clear that Harry was the favorite in-law, especially when compared to her reactions towards Aunt Fleur. Rose ran over and hugged Albus. They hadn't talked since Hogwarts a few days before, and Rose already missed him.

"Oh, I'm so happy you all could make it, dears," Grandma Molly said happily. She looked back at Harry. "I can't believe you were on duty even on a holiday. Can't those dark wizards stop committing crimes for just one day? It's Christmas, for crying out loud!"

"It'd be brilliant if they stopped committing crimes entirely," Harry said with a chuckle, "but then I'd be out of a job."

"Come along, now. You're already late and everyone is very hungry."

Rose looked back at her grandma, confused. "What about Uncle Charlie, or Uncle Bill's family?" she asked.

Her granddad smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. "Charlie's back in Romania again this time of year, and Bill and your cousins are visiting Fleur's side of the family this Christmas. The house seems strangely bare, doesn't it?" Rose nodded in agreement. Even with nineteen people squeezed into the Burrow, it felt a little empty without the rest of the family. Nevertheless, Rose's grandma carried on cheerfully, inviting them all into the dining room.

All the adults sat at a fairly long and attractive wooden table while the cousins all squeezed in close around a small folding table. "You know, there are the same amount of us as there are you," James called out grouchily.

Grandma Molly ignored this as she placed the plate of turkey in the center of the cousin table. "I expect you all to tell each other of the best part of your holiday," she said sternly before returning to the adult table. James and Fred rolled their eyes, but Molly and Lucy seemed to take this very seriously.

As Rose sliced off a piece of turkey, Molly announced that she would be the first to share. "The best part of my holiday is that I get to spend it with my family," she said. Molly smiled in a rather fake manner, almost as if she'd picked it out of a book of clichés. Rose doubted she was being honest. Molly was a lot older than some of her cousins, and the ones that were her age she didn't consider to be mature enough to talk to. Rose wondered if part of the isolation had to do with the fact that she was the only one of them sorted into Ravenclaw. Sometimes Molly acted like she was superior to the rest of them because of it.

Molly smiled at her sister, and Lucy put down her fork. "I liked seeing my parents again," she said quietly. Lucy was very shy, so Rose could hardly blame her for missing her parents.

"My turn already?" James asked cockily. "My mum and dad surprised me with a Sonic Boom this morning."

Fred choked on his pumpkin juice. "What?" His eyes were wide with disbelief. "No. Not a Sonic Boom. You're lying." He looked at Albus and Lily. "Tell me he's lying."

Albus shook his head. "After hearing about James's game they decided he'd inherited their skill for flying after all. All I got was some ruddy Home Potion Kit."

"You were excited when you opened it," Lily piped up, but Albus crossed his arms.

"I was until James got his glorified broomstick," he pouted. "Ah, well, I guess it's my turn. My favorite part was yesterday when Mum gave me pointers on Quidditch."

Rose realized it was her turn, but she hadn't yet thought of anything. She shrugged. "My mum didn't ask me about marks. That always gets rid of some stress."

"Ooh, did you get a Troll or something?" Molly asked. "That's probably why you didn't end up in Ravenclaw with me. Everyone had this idea that you'd be the second one in the family, but I knew you didn't have it in you." Everyone gave Molly a disturbed look, and she started laughing. "Oh, come on, guys!" she exclaimed. "I'm just kidding." She wasn't kidding.

"I did alright," Rose said very stiffly. "I just don't have Outstandings in all my classes."

"This is boring," James proclaimed. "What did everyone hate the most?"

"The Dursleys," Lily said immediately. "I don't understand why we spend every Christmas Eve with those Muggles."

"Preach," James said. "All our other cousins do is watch TV and play these things called video games. Our dad doesn't even like visiting, yet we still do it every year."

"You guys are so negative," Roxanne scolded them. "I think we should all focus on the positives in life."

"Yeah, like my mini Quidditch Pitch," Fred said, kicking the table, "which isn't nearly as cool as James's real life Sonic Boom."

Roxanne glared at her older brother. "Well, instead of dwelling on the presents we didn't get, I'd rather look towards the future. Something I'm really excited about is that Uncle Harry will be teaching a lesson at Hogwarts."

"What?" Albus somehow looked surprised. "Don't tell me it's Defense Against the Dark Arts."

Molly gave her cousin a strange look. "He's Head Auror. What else would you expect?"

"Shouldn't you know?" Fred asked. "He's your dad, after all."

James smirked. "He was too busy playing with his dorky potions to notice Dad talking about it."

Albus's face contorted and he tightened his fists. "They are not dorky!"

"Are too!"

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

As this went on, Lily plugged her ears and started humming to herself, probably sick of listening to her brothers bicker all the time. Rose glanced at Hugo and was glad their relationship wasn't nearly as bad as Albus's and James's. "Can we _please_ talk about something else?" Lily shouted.

"Like Albus's new Slytherin friends?" James said, pinching Albus's cheek.

"Hey, bugger off. Drake and Scorpius—"

"First name terms already?" James asked. "I was right. You are one of them."

"I'm not a Slytherin. You all saw the ceremony," Albus growled. "There's nothing wrong with having friends in other Houses."

"The war ended a long time ago," Lucy said, almost in a whisper. No one seemed to hear her except Molly.

"The Slytherins were really punished after the war," Molly said loudly. "They don't talk about this in _Hogwarts, A History_, but for three years after the Battle of Hogwarts, Slytherins had very restricted privileges. If you ask me, I think they should have gotten rid of the House entirely."

Roxanne looked back at Molly with wide eyes. "You can't be serious."

"Why else would Uncle Harry be visiting Hogwarts?" Molly replied.

Albus cleared his throat. "Um, to teach."

Molly rolled her eyes dramatically. "It's a cover up. He's there to investigate any suspicious Slytherin activity."

Albus crossed his arms angrily. "I don't believe you." Rose couldn't help but pity Albus. It was clear to everyone else that Slytherin was evil, yet Albus didn't see it. He was just going to have to learn the hard way when his new friends found a way to betray him. She suspected their main interest in his friendship was his connection to Harry Potter.

After dinner all the cousins with the exception of Molly and Lucy decided to run around the house and play with their new toys. Roxanne pulled out her new Forever Floating Frisbee and the kids all took turns diving to catch it. Lily and Hugo were really bad at the game. Lily would continuously duck below the frisbee at the last second, and Hugo had a tendency to cough up fur balls at the least opportune times. Eventually they stopped throwing it to them, but this made Lily very upset.

"You guys have had the frisbee for a long time. It's my turn," she puffed angrily. "Pass it to me, Fred."

Fred noticed Lily as if he'd forgotten she was part of the game. "You're just going to duck," he said.

"No I won't!"

"You swear?"

"I swear I won't duck."

Fred shrugged. "Okay, but you promised." He threw the frisbee straight towards Lily. She held her ground in position to catch it, but at the last second got that scared look in her eyes and jumped away. The blue frisbee ricocheted off the wall behind her and bounced across the room. They heard a loud crash and Fred caught the frisbee to get it to stop moving. "You swore, Lily." Lily was looking at her shoes to hide her shame.

"What fell?" Rose asked, hoping it wasn't anything important. Fred climbed around the brown sofa leaned against the wall and reached underneath. He pulled out the Weasley clock and held it up. "Oh, no! Is it broken?"

"Grandma is going to kill us," Roxanne moaned.

"Grandma is going to kill _me_," Lily corrected.

"No, we can fix it," Fred said, a little desperately. He held the clock up to the broken slab of wall. "James, help me out here."

"_Reparo_." James held out his wand and the clock reattached itself.

Rose gasped. "James! We aren't allowed to use magic outside of school."

He grinned and put a finger to his mouth. "Don't tell anyone it was me."

"Hey, what is this clock, anyways?" Rose asked. She'd never noticed before, but somehow it looked different from a normal clock.

"Oh, I don't know." Fred, still standing on the sofa, took a closer look. He frowned. "Shit, that's creepy."

"What?" Rose and the others gathered around the clock. Hugo and Lily kept complaining about how they couldn't see with everyone else in the way, but everyone ignored them. Instead of numbers the clock listed locations, and instead of two hands the clock had nine. Each hand of the clock contained a small portrait of a Weasley with the name printed underneath. Most of the Weasleys were pointed towards _Home_, with the exception of Charlie and Bill pointed at _Traveling_, but there was a third exception. The face of a young George pointed towards _Dead_, but instead of reading _George_ it read _Fred_. "Well, that's Uncle Fred, isn't it?" Rose said. "You're his namesake." It wasn't new information. All of the cousins had grown up hearing stories about the war and several of them had even been named after those who had died. "You don't even look like him, anyways."

"I know," Fred said. "It's still creepy, though. I mean, how would you feel if you found a clock that said 'Rose Weasley is dead'?" He turned back to the clock and pulled the original Fred's portrait off.

Rose put her hands on her hips. "Hey, Grandma and Granddad will notice."

Fred pointed at Rose with the clock hand he'd stolen. "I'd bet you anything they hate looking at this clock. I bet they won't even notice." He slipped the hand into his pocket and jumped down from the sofa.

"It's time for dessert." Everyone jumped, half expecting Grandma Molly to be standing behind them, but when they turned around it was just Molly Junior.

As they returned to the dining room, Fred looked back at Rose and the other cousins who'd seen him break the clock. "Nobody say anything, okay?" They all nodded. A clock pointing to Fred's death really was disturbing. No one wanted to put the hand back anytime soon.

* * *

**So there's the Rose chapter for you. I hope you all enjoyed it. Don't forget to leave a review. I always get excited when I hear your input.**


	12. Heidi Chang

**Hello, again! I'm on a roll with these 4,000+ word chapters, so I think I'm going to make it a thing now. In the past of me writing stories Chapter 8 or 9 has been where I conked out, so I'm excited that instead of writing less I've been writing even more than usual. I guess that just goes to show how much I love this story :)**

**I got a request to put Teddy Lupin in, and he might show up in the next chapter. Because he is so much older than the other characters, I likely won't write from his perspective, but he will definitely appear from time to time.**

**Disclaimer: The plot is mine, but influenced by JK Rowling's Harry Potter plot. Of course, Hogwarts is hers as well.**

* * *

**When Everything Changes**

**Chapter 12**

**Heidi Chang**

Albus was anxious. It wasn't that the holiday was over and he'd have to worry about school again. It also wasn't the fact that he was sitting in Classroom 3C. It wasn't that Defense Against the Dark Arts was a scary subject and it wasn't that his dad was coming to teach that day. Well, maybe it was. All of those things were very stressful to Albus because of one person: Heidi Chang.

The Ravenclaws were usually normal people during their two classes together. In Astronomy they tended to cluster with themselves and push any Gryffindors out. They were smart enough to know that any Gryffindor that tried to partner with them was simply trying to get a partner that would do all the work. In the beginning of the year Heidi had jumped to the opportunity of being involved in a group project with Albus and Rose, but they made sure to put no effort into their project so she'd never ask to be their partners again. Unfortunately it didn't work like that in Defense Against the Dark Arts.

In Defense Against the Dark Arts, Professor Scarcella easily noticed if one person had started to slack off. Once Jenna Takahashi had complained of being too tired to practice defensive spells. After Professor Scarcella shot a Knockback Jinx inches away from her face, Jenna jumped away with more energy Albus had ever seen her use. "Are you too tired now, Miss Takahashi?" Scarcella had asked. Jenna shook her head. She never complained of fatigue in Defense Against the Dark Arts again.

In this class—this awful, terrible class—Scarcella believed herself nice enough to allow the students to choose their partners. This was not nearly as nice as Scarcella thought. Every day of class Heidi jumped out of nowhere and pulled him aside.

"I was thinking Rose and I could be partners today," he once tried to say, looking back at his red-headed cousin sheepishly.

"Don't be silly," Heidi would say with a weirdly happy smile. "We're partners today." Then she would drag Albus away to another corner of the classroom.

Albus was especially nervous for that day's lesson. If Heidi was that obsessed with Albus, how would she react when the real Harry Potter showed up? He picked the desk that was the furthest away from where his dad would stand to lecture. Hopefully instead of sitting beside him, she'd sit at the front with bright eyes, fully engaged in whatever she was taught that day.

Rose sat next to him in the back, looking a little concerned. "Are you okay? I would have expected you to sit in the front today."

Albus looked tiredly up at Rose. "You know exactly why I'm sitting in the back," he said.

"You know, Heidi's not nearly as bad as you think," she said. Albus gave her a surprised look and she sighed. "I _was _trapped on the train with her."

"You weren't trapped—"

"Don't even get me started on your friends," Rose snapped.

Albus frowned and looked away. Scorpius and Drake had been avoiding him ever since the holiday had ended. He didn't need Rose to tell him that she told him so. "You may have been trapped with her on the train, but I'm trapped with her every Monday morning. I think I know what I'm talking about."

As more students filed in, Albus hid his face in his arms. "Go away, Rose," he whispered. "You're blowing my cover."

He took a peek out at his cousin and she smirked. "Here, I'll move one chair over." She did so and Albus covered his face again. Hopefully Heidi hadn't memorized the back of his head.

"Albus, is that you?" an overly excitable voice exclaimed.

"Oh," he tried to stifle his groan as he lifted his head. "Heidi. Don't you want to see my dad up close?"

Heidi's eyes widened and she squealed loudly. "Yes, I would love to go up front to see Harry Potter with you! Let's go now." She grinned and grabbed his arm to pull him all the way to the front. Albus glanced at Rose who gave him a pitied look. "Oh, my goodness, Rose. How could I have been so rude to not invite you to the front with us." With her other arm she grabbed Rose. The seats in the front were all full by that point, but Heidi insisted on sitting on the ground ahead of all the desks. Other people who hadn't been fortunate enough to get to class in time to get a good seat joined Albus, Rose, and Heidi on the ground.

Professor Scarcella entered the room alone and each student watched her with curious attention. "Everyone seems to be on their best behavior today," she said evenly, "and for very good reason." Heidi's eyes looked like they were going to bulge out of their sockets from anticipation. "I know many of you Gryffindors have been measuring yourselves up to be as brave as this man, and many of you Ravenclaws have read book over book about him. Please be extra attentive students for our own Hogwarts alum: Harry Potter." The students applauded as Albus watched his dad walk in. He seemed a little nervous from the attention, but accepted it nonetheless. When he saw Albus in the front he grinned and waved happily. Albus waved back, a little too aware of the eyes travelling back and forth between him and Harry.

"Hello. My name is Harry Potter and I am the Head of the Auror Department at the Ministry of Magic. I am also Albus's dad and Rose's uncle," he said with a smile. Color rushed to Albus's cheeks and he looked down. He could feel the eyes of his peers pierce him. "I am sure you all have questions about the practicality of this class." He looked expectantly into his audience. After a few seconds of hesitation, one student was brave enough to raise his hand.

"Well, isn't the purpose of Defense Against the Dark Arts, you know, defense against the dark arts?" Garry Jordan asked. A few students laughed nervously.

Harry laughed too, and lifted his arm to scratch the back of his head in precisely the way Albus would when he felt embarrassed. "Yes, that's definitely part of it," he affirmed.

"Is it really still relevant?" Harvey Nott asked, a noticeable drawl in his voice. "Voldemort was the longest lasting most terrible wizard there was. All the Death Eaters were convicted and sent to Azkaban for the most part, and anyone still remaining who actually believes in pureblood supremacy should be smart enough not to flaunt it."

Harry brightened up a little bit as if he'd expected a similar query. "Ah, an excellent question. Audrey?"

Scarcella nodded and gave the head of each row a few Chocolate Frogs. "One per person, everyone!" she called.

When each student had gotten their chocolate frog, they looked up hungrily at Harry. "I'm going to have to ask you to let your frogs run free. I'd hate for the lesson to be lost simply because you were all chasing after a lost cause," he said with a chuckle. A few people groaned, but Albus had expected this. Most people in his family only collected Chocolate Frogs for the cards, anyways. "I want you to all open up your Chocolate Frog and read the card on the inside. Talk amongst yourselves."

The class immediately erupted into chatter as little brown frogs sprung into the air and out of the classroom. Albus tore open the packaging and pulled out the accompanying card. "I got Chauncey Oldridge," he said. "She was the first known victim of Dragon Pox." A sickly woman with stringy hair peered out of the pictured window. Her face was covered in yellow bumps. Albus felt a bit sorry for her.

"That's dreadful! I'd hate to be remembered that way," Rose said. "I got Madam Jones. I quite like your dad over her. He likes to pretend the only reason he's here is because he's an Auror."

Albus grinned. "Yeah, we get it, Rose. Madam Jones is arrogant."

"I got Morgan le Fay," Heidi said curiously. "It says here that she was King Arthur's half-sister and Merlin's nemesis. She was queen of Avalon and practiced the dark arts openly." She put down the card and looked up at Albus and Rose. "Now that I think of it, I heard she was pretty evil. I wonder what point he's trying to make with this. It's probably something really fascinating. After all, this is Harry Potter's lesson we're talking about…" She went on for a while. Sometimes Heidi wouldn't stop talking.

"Now," said Harry, cutting off Heidi's chatter, "I want everyone who got a dark witch or wizard to raise their hands." In the group of thirty students, four raised their hands. Harry gestured to Lavender Peakes.

"I got Circe," she said. "It says she was a witch who turned lost sailors into pigs." A few students laughed.

"Men really _are_ pigs," Veronica Entwhistle snickered.

Harry pointed to Trevor Goldstein next, ignoring Heidi's highly raised hand. "This one is Babayaga the hag," he snorted. "She apparently ate children for breakfast." A few more students giggled. Usually Babayaga was a scare tactic parents used to prevent their children from wandering out too long alone.

"I got Voldemort," Chase Davies said a little more quietly. No one laughed. Harry simply took the card from Davies's hand and examined it.

"And what is yours, Miss Graber?" he asked without looking away from the card.

"Chang, actually," Heidi said a little uncomfortably.

Harry looked at her through his circular glasses with a confused expression on his face. "Of course."

"Morgan le Fay," she said, so quiet with anxiety that even Albus could barely hear her. He couldn't tell if the fear was because Chase Davies had brought up Voldemort, or if it was because she was being spoken directly to by her idol.

"Ah, Morgan le Fay," Harry said. "I'm sure it doesn't say this exactly on the card, but she was Merlin's student. After she'd learned everything she could from him, she turned against him and plotted to overtake King Arthur and his kingdom. She was an enemy to wizard and Muggle alike, and Merlin was the only wizard powerful enough to stop her. It was said that a witch as evil as her would never come again." He began pacing around the room. "Gellert Grindewald isn't on one of your Chocolate Frogs, but is a wizard of more recent history. He declared war on Muggles, threatening the destruction of the Statute of Secrecy so wizardkind could rule as lords. Albus Dumbledore defeated him. There was a while when it was said no wizard could become as evil as him, either." That send chills down Albus's back. He'd heard a great deal about his namesake, and it was a lot to live up to. Harry paused to look into the eyes of each student. "Tom Riddle adopted the name Voldemort after graduating from Hogwarts. He created a goal for himself to escape death and to promote his pureblood agenda. When his Killing Curse rebounded off of me and he disappeared for thirteen years, people said a wizard like him would never return. But he did." Harry looked back at Nott. "Now that he has been permanently dead for nineteen years, you wonder if Defense Against the Dark Arts is still necessary? If you're lucky another great dark wizard will not emerge during your lifetime, but that is not to say that you will not have times when you need to defend yourself."

Not one student made a sound. Nott was particularly ghostly looking, both from fear of being wrong and from the idea that dark wizards could still be among them. Even Albus felt a little fearful. He'd never seen his dad speak that seriously about something.

Harry's face softened. "Does that answer your question?" The Ravenclaw boy nodded. He didn't speak after that. Luke Anderson, a Gryffindor, raised his hand. "Yes?"

"What do Aurors do now that the Death Eaters are gone?" the boy asked quietly.

Harry thought for a moment. "There have been bouts of illegal activity over the years. Occasionally a group of young witches or wizards will pull magical pranks on Muggles because they think it's funny. Usually an Obliviator will be able to handle that, but an Auror will always accompany them in case there's something more going on. There have also been a few cases of murders that I've gone on to investigate. Actually, I remember there was a really bad one around eleven years ago back in Lumen." The last bit he said maybe on accident. His voice had become quieter and at the end of the sentence he stopped speaking abruptly. The students stared at Harry, desiring for him to go on. "Does that answer your question?"

"What happened eleven years ago?" Heidi asked, curiosity bubbling up before she could stop herself. After she spoke she covered her mouth as if suddenly remembering who she was talking to.

Harry hesitated. "It's a bit too dark of a story for first years," he insisted. He glanced at Scarcella for support.

Before the professor could speak, Shaelyn asked the same question with a sense of urgency. "What happened in Lumen?" Albus was surprised. She almost never spoke up in class unless it was to make a demeaning remark about someone. This didn't sound like a normal question, though. She sounded shocked.

Scarcella cleared her throat. "This is the most interested my students have been in this class ever. If this will make my students want to learn, tell it." Their professor's eyes lingered on Shaelyn as she spoke.

He nodded slowly. "Well, as you can guess, killing Voldemort didn't suddenly end the concept of pureblood supremacy. There were still people out there that agreed with his plan even if they weren't actually Death Eaters themselves. There were a few uprisings in the following years—not nearly as bad as when Voldemort was in power, but still very dangerous. Usually the wizard would simply maim a Muggle by the time we got there—which is generally easy enough to fix with a Healer and Obliviator—but there was one time around eight years after the war ended when one of these outbursts was exceptionally bad.

"Neville Longbottom—your Herbology professor—was an Auror back then. There had been reports of increased vampire presence in the area so we were sent to investigate. Although it was well past when Muggles normally go to bed, there was one house that still had their lights on. We peered into the window of the living room and found bodies lying around the room. They weren't moving at all, so we could tell it wasn't a normal sleep. Neville and I went into the house with an Anti-Vampire Potion that we'd brought to treat vampire bites. We tried feeding it to the Muggles, but they wouldn't wake up. That's when we realized that they didn't have any vampire bite marks and they weren't going through transformation. They were dead.

"Neville discovered that one of them was still alive and had just been playing dead out of fear. Before we modified his memory we discovered that it wasn't vampires that had killed his family, but two wizards. We did eventually catch the criminals and throw them in Azkaban, but they put up a fight." Harry paused, as if collecting his thoughts. "That's when Neville quit being an Auror and decided to teach at Hogwarts, actually."

The class watched him with amazed eyes, drinking up his every word. Albus had never heard of such detail in his dad's stories. He knew his dad was an Auror, but he never realized how much work had been put into it. Even he was as awe-struck as the rest of the class at Harry Potter.

Scarcella broke the silence with a singular clap, directing all attention towards her. "I hope this has reinvigorated you to work extra hard on your spells. You'll be performing the Leg-Locker Curse as I showed you last class with your partners. Mr. Potter and I will be moving around the class to assist anyone who needs help."

As expected, Heidi dragged Albus up to be her partner. She squealed quietly in his ear. "Oh, I can barely keep it together! Harry Potter is here and he's teaching us magic!"

"Giving us tips on magic," Albus corrected. He laughed uncomfortably as he scratched the back of his head.

Heidi laughed more happily. "You're so funny, Albus." She stood across from him and put her serious face on. She held out her arm and made an upside-down question mark shape with her wand. "_Locomotor Mortis!_"

Albus's legs locked together and he toppled over, no longer able to carry his own weight. He struggled to break free on his own, until he heard his dad speak the incantation, "_Locomotor Anima._" His legs immediately sprung back to life and he was able to stand up.

He smiled anxiously at his dad and then looked back at Heidi. "_Locomotor Mortis!_" To his relief, Heidi received the same effect. Harry recited the counter-curse after she'd been down for a few seconds and she jumped right back up.

"Really excellent!" Harry exclaimed. He put a hand on Albus's head, and Albus suddenly felt a surge of pride. Harry smiled at Heidi. "I'm so sorry about getting your name wrong. You looked so much like one of my old Hogwarts friends that I just assumed you were her daughter."

Heidi got this strange panicked look in her eyes. She was so star struck that she could barely talk. "Wh-who's your friend?" she asked.

"I guess she was a little more than a friend—we dated for a little while, not that it matters anyways." Harry hesitated, probably thinking again that he shouldn't have brought something up. "Cho Chang, if you've heard of her. She's a Ravenclaw, too."

Heidi looked as if she was going to just about die from happiness. "M-m-m-my m-mum's name is Ch-Cho Chang." She could barely string her words together and she was visibly shaking. Heidi took a deep breath to try and calm herself. "G-Graber is my dad's surname, but I like my mum's more."

Harry raised an eyebrow and Albus smiled a little. The extent of Heidi's excitement was a little funny to watch. "In that case it's nice to meet you, Heidi. If you're even half the witch your mum is you'll be brilliant." Harry smiled and walked away to check on the other students. Heidi's eyes were wider than Albus had ever seen them.

"Oh my God," she said in a whisper to Albus. "I could've been Harry Potter's daughter."

"Er…" Albus felt a little uncomfortable. No, he felt extremely uncomfortable.

"This…this is a sign," she exclaimed, raising her hands up to her head. "I have to get them back together."

"My dad is married…" Albus said awkwardly. "He's married to my mum…"

Heidi ignored him and grabbed ahold of his shoulders. "Albus, we could be step-siblings! Oh my God, we'll get to spend time together every day. It'll be brilliant!" That vision of Heidi's really disturbed Albus.

"Um, let's keep practicing the Leg-Locker Curse," he said, hoping to distract her. "We don't want Professor Scarcella to get mad at us for talking." Heidi nodded. If there was one thing about Heidi that Albus could count on, it was her desire to learn.

At the end of class, Albus went to the front of the classroom to talk to his dad. "Rose and I are going to Hagrid's for an early lunch," he said. "Do you want to come with us?"

To Albus's disappointment, Harry shook his head. "I have another lesson after this. I'm free afterwards."

Albus nodded and then rushed away to join Rose, but not before getting another arm pulled by Heidi. "You're going to Hagrid's? Let me come with you. I've never talked to Hagrid before."

"It's honestly just Rose and I who are going," Albus replied as he wriggled out of Heidi's grip. "It's just a family thing, really." Before she could respond, Albus bolted out the door and pulled Rose out of a conversation with Lavender.

They rushed down the various moving staircases, crossing the library on the way. Around there is where Albus and Rose slowed down. Heidi might be obsessed, but even she wouldn't chase after them. Rose peeked into the library and frowned. Albus followed her eyes and saw his two Slytherin friends. At the table closest to the entrance Scorpius was reading a book with a rather sour expression on his face and Drake making a book tower out of boredom.

"Oh, look," Rose remarked. "It's the purebloods."

As she spoke, Scorpius's eyes shot up and he put down his book. "Is there something wrong with being a pureblood?" he asked coldly. Drake looked up from his tower expressionlessly. His brightened a little when he noticed Albus, but then darkened again as if remembering something bad.

Rose crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "You're right. I should rephrase that. Oh, look. It's the _Death Eaters_."

"You have no idea what you're talking about, Weasley," Scorpius growled. "Even if I had killed Voldemort myself you'd think I was evil."

"Yeah, well you didn't. My uncle did," Rose replied proudly.

"Reading a lot of books, huh?" Albus said suddenly, trying to diffuse the tension. "Is there a homework assignment I didn't work hard enough on?"

Drake bit his lip and glanced at Scorpius. "No," he said with great hesitation. "Not exactly."

"It doesn't concern you," Scorpius said. He started packing up his things and went to the library return desk.

Rose nudged Albus and whispered in his ear, "Wow. I knew your friends were bad, but I didn't realize they acted terrible around you, too."

"Bugger off!" Albus didn't want to think that Rose was right, but they'd been acting like this all month. No one went home for Christmas and came back unhappy. It didn't make any sense. Drake and Scorpius returned to the entree way where Albus and Rose stood. "You guys okay?" Albus asked.

"No, no, we're fine. We've just got, uh, Flying that we've got to get to," Drake said. "We're in a rush."

"You do _not_ have Flying," Rose said. "We're in the same class. Slytherins have free period right now. I've seen you and Albus hang out enough to know that." Albus had been thinking the same thing, but he hadn't been willing to actually say it.

Scorpius glared at Drake and then looked back at Albus. His expression changed. "Of course!"

Albus frowned. "What?"

"Drake and I need to tell you something," Scorpius exclaimed. For the first time he seemed excited for Albus to be there.

Drake looked back at him and widened his eyes. "Seriously? After all this effort to be secretive."

"Well, why not? He's a Gryffindor _and _Harry Potter's son. He's perfect."

"Er, isn't that why he's not perfect?" Drake asked.

Scorpius ignored his friend and looked uncomfortably at Rose. "Can you leave, or something?"

Rose pulled out her wand and pointed it at Scorpius's nose. "I do _not_ take orders from the likes of you."

"Okay, calm down, Rosie," Albus said. Rose slowly lowered her wand, but still appeared just as menacing. "Rose and I are going to Hagrid's. If you want to tell me, she's going to have to hear it as well."

Scorpius glanced nervously at Rose. "You swear you won't make a big deal about it and tell other people?"

Rose was about to say something, but then Albus gave her a very serious look. She changed her mind. "Fine."

As the four of them continued down the Hogwarts towers, Scorpius recounted what he'd learned about Slytherin Probation and Shaelyn Peters. It wasn't much, but it was fascinating to Albus. "During the holiday when I went home I mentioned I was friends with you, and my parents were really weirdly upset about it. When I asked about the whole Slytherin Probation thing they just kept saying that it wasn't any of my business if I was going to be spending time with a, uh, a Gryffindor." The look on Scorpius's face said that his parents were a lot angrier than he was letting on. "But you, you're Harry Potter's son. If anyone can find out about it it'd be you, right? You could just ask your dad all casually and boom, you know."

"Don't you think it's a little rude that you've been looking through Shaelyn's things?" Rose asked. "I don't see what her parents not letting her home has to do with anything."

Drake smirked. "You of all people should want to know why she's such a—"

"Okay, fine, I want to know," Rose shouted. "But I still don't see why it's relevant!"

"Think about it," Scorpius said. "Slytherin Probation happens immediately following the war, based on animosity towards the purebloods, specifically Slytherin purebloods. Slytherins get reduced privileges, and are punished for what their parents and older siblings did. Professor Fawley strongly implies that Slytherin Probation is being threatened to happen again. Meanwhile, Shaelyn the muggleborn is causing all hell with everyone for just existing. In her letter she's basically begging her parents for forgiveness for having magic. Doesn't it seem like it connects somehow?"

Rose looked doubtful. Drake shrugged. "I thought it was ridiculous at first, too," he said, "but really if you think about it that whole thing seems to make sense."

"What I'm not getting is how Shaelyn is influencing this whole Probation thing," Albus said. "She's a muggleborn. She probably doesn't even know what it is."

Scorpius crossed his arms. "I know, I know. I just feel like it's connected. Have you noticed her doing anything weird?" Albus and Rose shook their heads.

By that point they had reached Hagrid's hut. Albus knocked and Hagrid came out, filling the whole doorway with his size. Despite his age, he had thick brown hair that covered his entire head. "S'bout time you got here," he said happily. He noticed the two Slytherin boys and narrowed his eyes. "An' who might you two be?"

"I'm Scorpius Malfoy, and this is Drake Urquhart. We're here with Albus."

This seemed to satisfy the half-giant, because after Scorpius spoke his expression seemed to soften (although it was hard to tell under his great big beard). "Any friend of Albus is a friend o' mine. Come on in." The four clambered into the little wooden hut, which was surprisingly not bigger on the inside than it was on the outside. Hagrid brought out some of his freshly baked rock cakes, and Albus nibbled at them kindly despite their bad taste.

"Do you know anything about Slytherin Probation, Professor Hagrid?" Scorpius asked.

Hagrid chuckled. "Ah, 'Professor Hagrid!' That'd be the day. Even me Care o' Magical Creatures students don't call me that." Scorpius smiled uncomfortably. "That ol' Slytherin Probation thing is just a bunch of bollocks. E'ryone is always threatenin' to 'ave it reinstated, but it never happens. The real one was done out o' fear, though. The press kept demandin' ter get rid o' Slytherin entirely, but McGonagall—Headmistress before Flitwick—wouldn't have it. Why here Albus, yer dad was real against it, too. Then Flitwick came in with this whole Probation plan an' it seemed ter calm e'ryone down. E'ry time some Slytherin does somethin' rude people start demandin' it get reinstated again. 'Makes no sense, really. It'd only ever be put back up if somethin' real bad happened."

Albus suddenly remembered something. "On Christmas my cousin Molly mentioned something about that. She said something about how my dad was only here to check out suspicious Slytherin activity. That can't be true though, can it?"

Drake shrugged. "I haven't noticed anything suspicious about us."

"What about Shaelyn Peters?" Scorpius asked. "Do you know anything about her? She's a first year Gryffindor."

Hagrid brightened up. "Ah, Shaelyn! Why, she jus' came down yesterday ter celebrate her thirteenth birthday with me."

Rose nearly choked on her rock cake. "Shaelyn visits _you_?"

Hagrid nodded happily, but before he could say anything Albus cut him off. "Shaelyn is _thirteen_?"

"She's a first year!" Scorpius chimed in. "She should be twelve at the oldest."

Hagrid's smile dropped. "I should not have said that. Don't tell anyone 'bout that. She's real insecure 'bout it." There was a knock at the door. "'Scuse me." Hagrid stood up, his head almost reaching the ceiling, and opened the door.

"Hello, Hagrid." Albus turned around to see his dad in the entree way. "Turns out I got the whole schedule wrong. There is no Defense Against the Dark Arts class during this period." Harry climbed into the hut and took a seat next to Albus at the table. Scorpius and Drake stared at him fearfully. "You must be Albus's friends. Scorpius and Drake, right?" They nodded. "So good to meet you." They each shook the hand of Harry Potter. An expression of shock never left their faces. "Oh, yeah. And one of your friends said she lost track of you after class." Everyone looked back and saw Heidi Chang. She was smiling in the doorway

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**Thank you for reading! Please don't forget to review.**


	13. Bad Date

**Hi! I'm sorry it's been so long since I last posted a chapter. My last month of school was fully of tests and then I had finals last week, so it was hard to find time to work on this. I'm also super excited because I got my own Marauder's Map in the mail last week. Hopefully it'll help me figure out where things are in the castle for when I write more.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter that'd be awesome. But I don't.**

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**When Everything Changes**

**Chapter 13**

**Bad Date**

In the Gryffindor common room James stared blankly at his Divination homework. In one hand he held a book of interpretations for symbols, and in the other he held a recounting of Professor Trelawney's dream from ten years ago. She'd gotten pretty frustrated with him for fudging the answers and pretending his own predictions had come true, so decided to see if he could interpret her old dream instead of his own.

_I found myself in a meadow with baby blue skies, surrounded by trees and birds. The birds sang happily and circled around my head as I reached up towards them. A hummingbird touched its beak to my finger, when suddenly the sky became completely black. When I looked back where the bird had been, there was nothing but absent air. I had ascended into the sky without even noticing._

_I swam down towards the ground where I spotted the Forbidden Forest. I was drawn towards a patch near the center of the forest where the full moon inspired the trees to awaken. One of the smaller trees circled a young boy and touched his hand._

_The wind rustled against the leaves and they whispered the phrase, "Another is born."_

"God damn, Trelawney," James muttered as he rubbed his eyes. He looked between her dream and his interpretation book a few times and was at a loss. He couldn't find anything in there on trees coming to life. Trelawney had assured him that her dream had come true the very next day, so she would know if his prediction was wrong. James scratched his head and scribbled on his parchment. _The Tree of Life symbolizes your connectivity to everything, and hummingbirds symbolize energy. The next day you were energetically connected to something._

"Hey, James!" James looked up and frowned. Cindy. She'd been weird lately. "Divination homework?"

"I can't believe my dad told me this class would be easy. This is a nightmare." He held up the recounting of Trelaney's dream, and Cindy sat down uncomfortably close to James so she could read it.

"I'm taking Arithmancy instead so this really doesn't make any sense to me," Cindy pouted.

"Seriously, this is even harder than math?" James exclaimed. "I picked the wrong elective."

Suddenly a huge smile spread across Cindy's lips. "So, are you doing anything tonight?"

James hesitated. "Why?" He'd learned the hard way that he shouldn't just outright say he was free. Cindy had already tried tricking him into hanging out with her multiple times. Thankfully he always had his friends to find a way to bail him out, but just in case he liked to be safe.

Her eyes darted for a second. "The team, of course! We're all going to The Three Broomsticks. You know, because Quidditch and broomsticks. It's all super funny." Cindy laughed rather strangely.

"On a Wednesday?" Cindy nodded eagerly. "Well, sure I guess I'll go."

At that moment, McLaggen walked in with Fred and she winced. "So great you can come. But, oh wait! It turns out none of them can make it. It looks like it'll just be you and me, then." Cindy ran away before James could protest, and he was left banging his head against the table.

"By any chance were you guys invited to The Three Broomsticks tonight?" he asked with his head in his book.

Fred smirked. "Sorry, mate. She got you again."

"I'd like to tell her I can't go because of my schoolwork, but no one would believe I'd blow anything off for that," James said. "Any chance you could come with me?"

"Not a chance," McLaggen laughed. "No man would dare go out with another man tonight." James stared at him blankly. "You do know what day it is, don't you?"

"Wednesday?"

"Valentine's Day," Fred corrected. "I swear, I've been talking about this all week." James continued to stare at him. "Sara and I are going out tonight."

"That's still going on, then?" McLaggen asked. "That's a long time, now!"

Fred raised an eyebrow. "Three weeks is hardly a long time. What about you? I would've expected you to have a date."

McLaggen shrugged. "I'm more of the kind of guy who flirts with girls and then watches them from afar. I'm not interested in actually being with someone. That's just weird."

"Suit yourself, but I'm the one who's getting snogged tonight," Fred replied proudly.

"Blimey, I didn't realize it was a bloody contest," McLaggen said. "I'll get there when I get there. Hey, Rose." Rose and Albus had just entered the common room and James frowned. With all these distractions he'd never get his Divination homework done, and he couldn't risk his reputation on going to the library.

"Hello to you too, 'Laggen," Albus replied coldly. James snorted. Albus was so ridiculously protective over Rose around McLaggen. Yeah, girls may find him charming, but he never actually made a move.

"Oi, since I have you all down here I might as well ask. Any of you know how to interpret Trelawney's dreams?" He held up the parchment and Fred snatched it up.

"This is going to be easy," Fred bragged. "It _is _my second year of Divination after all."

McLaggen raised an eyebrow. "Congrats on being older than us, mate."

"Shove off!" Fred examined the parchment and frowned. "Well, here she says she's in a meadow. That's, like, peace, right? So in the start of the dream she's peaceful."

"Let me see!" Fred handed it off to Rose. "Mum told me all Divination is about is making up ominous stories about death."

"Didn't end with 'Another is born?'" James asked. "Someone can't be born if they're dead."

"Not unless they're born dead!" McLaggen gasped. "Like a vampire." James ignored that. Even Trelawney wasn't that ridiculous with her death predictions.

"It'd be a lot nicer if she just let you use a pensieve," Albus said. "She could have easily left out details by choosing to write down her dream instead of just drawing out the memory."

"Oh! Maybe it's about someone who dies because another is born!" James exclaimed, ignoring his brother. "Ah, you're a genius, Rosie." Rose blushed and McLaggen pouted, a little upset that he wasn't credited. James grabbed his quill, ready to finish up. _There will be a change from peace, and then the boy in the forest will die_. He blew on the ink to let it dry. "Hey, are you two doing anything fun tonight?" he asked Albus and Rose hopefully.

"I was invited to Galentine's Day in the Ravenclaw common room," Rose said miserably. "The only way to get out of it is to have a boyfriend, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen anytime soon."

"I was also invited to Galentine's Day, and I'm not sure how I feel about that," Albus said. "I can't tell if Heidi likes me or is so star struck that she can't tell my gender."

Rose nodded. "What about you, James?"

"He's got a date he's trying to get out of," McLaggen laughed. "I don't suppose he's invited to Galentine's Day, too?"

"What I'm hoping is that Galentine's Day has just evolved to encompass all single people and not just girls," Albus replied, "but if that's true as soon as you dump your date, she's invited too."

"You should go on a double date with Ted and Victoire!" Rose offered helpfully. "Then you won't have to be alone with her."

James's eyes bugged out. "A double date with them?" he exclaimed. "God, Rose, I can't let them meet Cindy. That'd be like introducing her to my parents, except worse because both my family and the whole school would find out."

"Sorry I said anything." Rose and Albus walked to another table to work on their Herbology homework together.

James looked back at Fred and McLaggen. "Where's McCarver, anyways?"

"He's still all pissy about how you're the new Chaser. He'll get over it," McLaggen replied.

James frowned at him. "I'm so over this. It's not my fault I'm better than him."

Fred smirked. "Cindy _did_ get to choose who replaced her."

"Where are you taking her?" Rose asked, changing the subject. She had the hopeful look of wonder of excitement in her eyes that all girls had around Valentine's Day. It was awful.

"She said we were going to The Three Broomsticks," James replied. "That'll be casual, at least."

Fred smirked. "You are not going to The Three Broomsticks," he chuckled. "That was to rope you in."

"Now I need to come up with a place to bring her?" James exclaimed. "This is ridiculous. I didn't even want to go on this stupid date."

"Fine. Then don't go to Madam Puddifoot's, but anywhere else is fair game," Fred said. "I'll help you pick out an outfit." James was disgusted. He had to pick out _clothes_ before a date? He felt like such a girl.

Fred guided James up to their dormitory, and the rest followed. Rose was really excited to be in the boy's dormitory, which seemed strange to him since they were probably exactly the same as the girl's. They spent ages sorting through his robes, and debating over trivial things like if he should wear Muggle or wizard clothes. Fred, McLaggen, and Albus fancied themselves as fashion experts, while Rose served as the overall attractiveness consultant. Eventually they settled on a deep blue robe with gold embroidered sleeves. James felt rather silly, feeling he looked more clunky than handsome, but he didn't want to argue. That would mean even more arguments about what to wear, and he didn't want to wait through more of that.

The five of them clambered back down into the common room where Cindy was already waiting. James gasped and looked down sheepishly. He suddenly became very jealous of Fred, who was wearing a much more attractive scarlet robe. Cindy had let her hair down into golden curled locks, and for once she wore very minimal make-up. He had assumed her caked cover up was to cover up an ugly face. He was wrong. James gazed at her shapely pink dress, which was complimented by a long white cape.

"Ah-Aren't you going to get cold?" James stuttered. He bit his tongue from embarrassment.

Cindy smiled deviously. "Oh, I think I'll be fine." James nodded silently.

The pair made their way out of Hogwarts, and James kept his head bowed in hope that no one would see them together. When they reached the courtyard the sun felt like a spotlight, even though no one was actually looking. A few Ravenclaws were sprawled around the stone walls with textbooks open, and some Hufflepuff girls were chasing each other on the lawn. A little farther away near the Quidditch Pitch a tiny person was holding a broom, probably readying themselves for the upcoming Hufflepuff versus Slytherin game.

By the time they reached Hogsmeade James had still not determined where they would go for their date, so he simply scanned the town and headed in the direction of the least populated stores. Hopefully then no one significant would see them and label them as an item.

"Oi! James is that you?" He froze. That wasn't the voice of…No, it couldn't be. Not now. "It's been so long!" It was. Teddy Lupin and Victoire jogged towards James and Cindy, hand in hand.

James looked around a little desperately, wishing there was something to hide behind. _Dad's invisibility cloak would come in handy right about now_. He cursed himself and then looked up at the happy couple. "What? No way! It's you guys," James shouted in fake excitement. "We missed you at Christmas."

"Hey, I'm a pretty highly demanded guy in my family. Between Gran, Victoire, and the rest of your family, I never know who should get top priority," Ted chuckled. "Of course France ended up being much more fun than the usual Christmas." He noticed Cindy. "Why James, aren't you going to introduce me to your girl—"

"Cindy," James said quickly, sure to cut him off. "Her name is Cindy."

Victoire gasped. "You're the new girl on the Quidditch team that James has told me so much about!"

James just about had a heart attack. "What? No I've never—" She grinned and winked at him, as if she thought she was doing him some kind of service.

"Was," Cindy replied coldly, cutting off James's protests. "James took my place."

Victoire frowned. "Oh, I was afraid of this. Luke can treat Quidditch like such a boy's club."

"That was my parents, actually," Cindy growled. "They decided it was too dangerous for me and made Luke take me off the team. I'm still technically an alternate, but I can't even go to practices. Flitwick knows and he put a spell on my broom."

"That's so stupid," Victoire gasped. "Sometimes I wish I didn't have parents. They ruin everything!" The Gryffindor team had vowed to each other not to tell anyone the nature of Cindy's injuries before the December game, but her parents got word that it was a Quidditch injury. Having witnessed her fall, James didn't think Cindy's parents were overreacting at all. Since no one else at Hogwarts knew exactly what happened, they just assumed Cindy's parents were too protective.

"Victoire…" Teddy murmured. For a second his face looked pained, but it quickly went away.

James's pretty cousin guiltily recomposed herself. "Why don't you join us," she said. "We have a reservation at Madam Puddifoot's, and I'm sure they'd let us squeeze two more people onto our table."

"That's okay, we were just going over to, um," he glanced at Cindy at a loss for words. He had made no plans. "Yeah, that'd be nice," he muttered in defeat. Cindy was staring at Victoire cautiously, and James suddenly realized he hadn't actually introduced them. "Oh, by the way, this is my cousin, Victoire. She's Head Girl, and stuff."

"And I'm James's godbrother." Teddy smiled charmingly at Cindy. James didn't like that.

"What's with the hair?" Cindy asked. "I've never seen anyone at Hogwarts with purple hair." Her tone was more judgmental than curious. Usually the only people who changed their hair or eye color were upper level Transfiguration students, and it was usually only to another natural color.

Teddy laughed and stroked his hair. "What? I thought purple might fit for Valentine's Day."

Victoire rolled her eyes. "He wanted to do pink but I told him that'd be too girly."

Teddy grinned at her and suddenly his hair lightened to a soft pink. "Are you sure? I thought it'd be cute if I matched your dress."

"Everyone wears pink on Valentine's Day. You're matching everyone's dress!" Victoire exclaimed. "Why don't you be blonde like I told you to?"

"Ugh, so controlling," Teddy moaned affectionately as his hair brightened up to match hers. His height shortened and the bones in his face began to reconstruct into one matching Victoire's. "Here. Since you want me to be your clone," he said, disturbingly in her voice.

"Teddy!"

"Fine, fine, fine!" Teddy replied as he reshaped himself to his previous appearance, each 'fine' in a slightly different tone until it reached his own voice. "Just playing." He kissed Victoire on the nose and she rolled her eyes. Cindy stared uncomfortably at him, clearly not okay with all the appearance changes.

When they got to Madam Puddifoot's, James immediately understood why Fred said not to go there. The tables were filled with couples making googly eyes and holding hands across pink tables filled with mini sandwiches and teacups. The walls were covered in froofy flowers and hearts, and the chairs were each wrapped in a decorational bow. A young woman in a lacey red apron noticed them and smiled. "Hello, my name is Renée. Welcome to Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop. Do you have a reservation?"

"Reservation for Teddy Lupin. I hope it's alright that we brought two extras." Teddy smiled charmingly at the woman and she blushed.

"Y-yes!" she stammered. "We have one larger table in the back." The four of them weaved around the tightly crammed tables and dodged kissing couples to get to it. Renée laid a few tiny menus in front of each person.

"We're already ready," Teddy said immediately. He glanced at James and Cindy. "Are you?" James was overwhelmed by the pink French Script cursive writing and the tiny moving pictures of twirling cakes next to each item, but he nodded. "Two flaming sundaes, please."

James nodded. "We'll take the same."

Cindy cleared her throat. "Actually I can order for myself, thanks. I'd like a lemon square with your famous strawberry coffee."

Renée came quickly with their orders. His sundae was much smaller than expected considering the price, but it tasted good. When he was done he couldn't help but glance around and figure out who might have seen him with Cindy. The nearest person he knew was Duncan with Victoire's friend Robin McPherson, but they were too busy snogging to notice them together. Renée returned with their checks, and James fumbled around awkwardly for his pouch of sickles. Teddy grinned at him. "Don't worry, mate. I've got this."

When they'd left the tea shop it was already dark outside. Teddy and Victoire ran off to explore more of the foresty areas around Hogsmeade, and James decided to walk with Cindy back to Hogwarts. Argus Filch stood at the gates to allow them back into the courtyard, and grumbled on about dress codes and misbehaving students as they walked past him. As they wandered around the Quidditch Pitch, James and Cindy gazed at the stars decorating the sky above them. Normally he didn't like to look at them because it reminded him of Astronomy class, but somehow this time it felt both relaxing and exciting at the same time. His hand accidentally grazed Cindy's and a warm feeling shot through him and made him jump back.

"What?" she squealed softly.

"Nothing," he replied with a pounding heart. "It's really—"

"Come on, come on, come on, come on…" James and Cindy stopped to scan their surroundings. A little further away was the dark figure of a girl standing over a broom. "You got this, Mariah. You can do this. Just…go!" She waited as if expecting the broom to move for her, but it didn't.

"Flying a broom alone at night isn't exactly the best idea," James called out.

"Albus?" The girl looked up at James and dropped her broom. "Oh. I thought you were someone else."

"That's okay. I'm James," he said. "If you get hurt flying at night no one will know to help you." Cindy scowled and crossed her arms. She didn't like James talking about her fall.

"It's no use anyways," Mariah said. "I know how to fly—I mean I've seen how to fly—but I can't do it. I don't know why I'm even trying." She sat on the grass exhaustedly.

"How long have you been here?" James asked.

"All afternoon," she said quietly. "Since I got out of class."

"Everyone in Flying should have learned how to get on a broom by now," Cindy said. "In our class even the awful people got the basics by October."

"My mum and dad wouldn't let me take Flying lessons," the girl sniffed.

"Oh yeah?" Cindy exclaimed. "I was on the Quidditch team and my parents made me stop playing. They are _so_ protective."

"Why do you want to learn how to fly, then?" James asked, ignoring Cindy. It was really rare for someone to get out of Flying lessons, and he'd never heard of someone who actually wanted to learn try and get out of it.

Mariah was silent, then slowly stood back up. "I guess…to prove a point."

James smiled. That was the best reason to do something. "Have you ever been on a broom in the air?" Mariah shook her head timidly. He got on her broom and told her, "Hop on."

"R-really?" she asked, emotions mixed with excitement and anxiety.

"Really," he said. Mariah climbed on the back and wrapped her arms around him.

"Are you serious?" Cindy shouted. "I thought you were walking me back to the common room!"

"Relax," James said. "I was just going to take her for a short spin."

"You have got to be joking," she yelled. "Here I thought you'd be all nice and whatever for once, but no, you're helping some random girl you've never met learn how to fly! Who does that?"

"Um." Mariah's grip slackened. "I'll just go back to my common room."

"You," James said, pointing at Mariah, "You're not going anywhere." He shifted his focus back to Cindy. "This is really just going to take a minute, Cindy. You're so controlling."

"Controlling? I'm controlling?" Cindy exclaimed. "You're the one who's controlling, not walking me back. God, you know what, James? You're a total idiot who has no idea what he has: Me."

"Hold on tight," James whispered, ignoring the exploding girl he'd spent his day with. The broom gently lifted off the ground. He could feel the tight squeeze of Mariah's arms as she shook fearfully behind him. He swirled around the Quidditch Pitch, sure to glide only with soft turns so as not to frighten her more. When they reached the top James looked back to see she had closed her eyes. "Hey," he said. "Look up."

Mariah shakenly gazed upwards and gasped. "Wow," she whispered. "It's magnificent." The two of them stared at the open sky, high enough up where not even a tower touched the stars. James lowered the broom downwards as Mariah continued to gaze up at the sky, completely entranced. When they reached the ground, the girl hugged James tightly. "Thank you." She grabbed the broom and ran back to Hogwarts.

James looked back at Cindy. "Are you ready?"

"Obviously," she shot back at him. The pair silently returned to Hogwarts. When they reached the common room, Cindy stopped to stare at James. When he didn't do anything, she scoffed. "You're not going to do it yourself?"

"Do what?" he asked stupidly.

"You're so insecure!" Cindy exclaimed.

"Insecure about wha—" Then Cindy grabbed his face and pulled it towards hers, engaging him with the stiffest first kiss imaginable. Then she pushed James off of her. "Happy Valentine's Day." She angrily stomped upstairs to her dormitory and James stared dumbfounded after her. Once we was mentally capable again, he returned to the boy's dormitory.

"Is that James?" a tired figure asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Oh," James said. "Hello, Fred."

"'Get some snogging on tonight?"

"I, um, yeah I guess so," he said. "I think Cindy's my girlfriend now."

"Yeah, that's what I'm talking about." Fred high fived James and then returned to his room. James could not sleep that night.

In the morning after breakfast James tiredly made his way to Divination so he could turn in his assignment and be done with it. He was less than pleased with the guesses about the dream he had written, but he had no other choice. "Here, Professor," he said with a yawn as he walked through the door.

"My dear, I'm afraid your answers to my assignment are incorrect," Trelawney said ominously. James rolled his eyes. Another one of her spooky predictions that actually weren't predictions.

"Yeah, I'll get right on correcting it," he said.

"My dear," this time she grabbed his shoulders, "I have had another dream. I believe I was mistaken when I recounted that my prediction of my dream had come upon me. In my new dream I have seen that the boy has an appearance in the likes of you." James gulped. Suddenly he did not like that he had predicted the boy would die. Instead of responding, he found a seat next to McLaggen.

"What was that about?" he asked.

"Nothing," James said. "Nothing at all."

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**Please don't forget to review! I get all warm and fuzzy inside when I get one, even if it's constructive and not just complimentary. Also, thank you for those who have favorited and followed this story. I appreciate it so much :)**


	14. The Epiphany that Vanished

**I got a few really sweet reviews since my last chapter, so thank you so much! They really brightened my day. I'm actually starting to get more into the plot, which is really exciting for me. This chapter ended up going in a different direction than I expected. Originally I was going to do Rose then cut to Drake, but I got a little too in to Rose's side of events. Hopefully I'll find a way to get to Drake's, or at least move his chapter to a more convenient place.**

**Also, if you're noticing me introduce and then forget about characters, I promise I'm not. I'm still setting things up, so you will definitely see characters like Garry Jordan and Trevor Goldstein again.**

**WARNING: This chapter contains religion. I am by no means writing a religiously inspired story, so if that is not something you are interested in don't worry. There are many people who practice religion in real life, so I simply felt it necessary that this story reflect that. If you have any issue with it, don't even worry about it. Once again, it's not a big part of the story.**

**Disclaimer: As usual, I still am not JK Rowling. Ooh, but new disclaimer! I mixed a few different denominations of Christianity, so don't be offended if I did the service a little wrong. It's supposed to be different.**

* * *

**When Everything Changes**

**Chapter 14**

**The Epiphany that Vanished**

Rose and Albus sat gloomily in the library that Friday morning. Instead of their Hogwarts uniforms, the pair was a bit dressier. Albus had opted for a baby blue cloak, which he wore over yellow breeches and a buttoned coat which folded behind his hips. A black pointed hat engulfed his head, as it was too big to be worn by an eleven year old boy. Rose had tamed her curly hair into a neat bun and wore a long sleeved white dress shirt with a lavender skirt and cape. An Extendable Ear hid lazily under a book cover, and Rose with barely any sleep only half listened. Albus had buried himself in a green book called _Slytherin: A Controversy Throughout the Centuries_, but found it difficult to understand. He had been on the same page for at least twenty minutes attempting to transfigure the language in his mind into something understandable.

"I can't believe Malfoy convinced you to stay here over the holiday," Rose mumbled. "This is terrible."

Albus tore himself away from his book and blinked at Rose, as if he'd forgotten how to understand contemporary English as well. "Oh. Yeah. Right," he said after a beat of hesitation. The boy yawned and then stared up at the ceiling. "Didn't he convince you, too?"

Rose rested her face on her hands. "I'm only here because you're here."

"That would be weird if only one of us decided to come home." Albus gave up on the section and flipped to the next page of the book.

"Why isn't Malfoy here, again?" Rose asked, annoyed.

"He stayed up all last night researching," Albus replied absentmindedly.

"Yeah, sure," Rose said sarcastically. "I bet he's just using us to find the answers, or that he's just making up the whole thing to screw with us." Albus didn't say anything. "I still don't see how helping Slytherin helps me."

Albus smiled. "Rewards aren't that important when it comes to helping friends," he said softly.

"He's not my friend," Rose replied stubbornly.

"You're _my_ friend," Albus said, "and this is important to me."

They were silent for a few minutes. As Albus flipped through his book, taking notes on each page, Rose tapped her thumbs against the table. The Extendable Ear made no sound. "This ruddy thing must be broken."

Albus picked it up and held it up next to his own ear. He shrugged and dropped it back to the table. He checked his watch. "Might as well. It's getting kind of close to the service." He started coiling up the ear, little snippets of quiet conversations happening between bookshelves coming out as he did so. "Maybe we just put it in the wrong place," he mumbled.

"Are you really wearing that?" Rose finally asked. She'd been wondering all morning.

Albus looked up at Rose, surprised. "What? What's wrong with my outfit?"

"You look preposterous," she said.

"Come on! They're formal church clothes with Easter colors," Albus said. "They're perfect."

Rose rolled her eyes. She still couldn't believe he'd valued himself as a fashion expert when helping James pick out clothes on Valentine's Day. "Those are Muggle Easter colors," she said. "Wizard Easter doesn't have colors." She helped Albus put their books back on the shelves as they began to exit the library. "It's not even Easter. It's Good Friday. Plus we don't even need to go to church when we're here."

"Hey, I like going. Holidays are the only time Hogsmeade opens up to underclassmen for church, if you need more of a reason," Albus replied as they made their way through the castle.

"It all sounds pretty made-up to me," Rose continued.

"That's what Muggles say about witches and wizards," Albus replied.

"That's not a very good argument."

Albus sighed. "I'm not arguing, I'm just speaking."

They reached the courtyard where a lot of students had gathered. People were wearing all sorts of funky outfits, and in all different colors. Most students hadn't brought any nice clothes other than their school uniforms, so had to try their best with the mismatched garments they owned. After a few minutes, the upperclassmen began to trickle away from the crowd out of the courtyard. Professor Clearwater stood with the first and second years until all the rest had entered Hogsmeade. There were only eight students left, so easy for him to keep track. "I don't want any funny business," Clearwater instructed. "You're only allowed to go in the church, and that's it."

"I bet Malfoy is sleeping in right now," Rose muttered. "He's getting his beauty sleep while we're doing all the work, _and _we're going to church. Shaelyn isn't even here."

Albus cracked a smile. "Wouldn't Scorpius not being here count as a positive? Now you know for sure you won't run into him."

Rose crossed her arms. "I wouldn't run into him while sleeping in the Gryffindor dormitories either," she pouted.

"Thank goodness, someone I know!" Albus and Rose turned around to see Ben Summers jogging towards them from the back of the line. "I asked Todd, John, Heidi, and Lavender, but none of them wanted to go."

"Ah, so I didn't make your list?" Rose asked.

Ben's eyes widened and he blushed. "No! I just mean, I mean, you know, I mean…"

Rose laughed. "I'm just joking around!" She looked back at Albus. "This is Ben. He's one of the people I sat on the train with when you abandoned me."

"For the last time, I didn't abandon you. You_ chose_ not to sit with me," Albus exclaimed. He gave Ben a half smile. "I'm Rose's cousin, Albus."

"Yeah, I knew that," Ben said cheerily. "A lot of people talk about you."

Albus smiled awkwardly. "You mean Heidi."

Ben shrugged. "Well, she is in my friend group, but I do mean everyone." Rose was jealous of Albus sometimes. Everyone always knew about him and treated him nicely, while most people treated her like a stranger while first meeting her. The only people who really knew who she was were people like Heidi who were a little too obsessed.

When they entered Hogsmeade, Rose was amazed. She had never seen an all-wizard town before and had expected it to be unimpressive, but she was wrong. Wooden buildings and cottages lined the streets. Although there was still snow on the ground, grass had started to grow on the roofs of the buildings. They passed a smaller structure, which had an aged black sign hanging from the walls labeling the store as Honeydukes. Through the window Rose could see an old witch sitting idly while a broom magically swept the floors. A little farther away the small group reached a large building with a giant laughing head on top. Circling around was the animated title of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Rose smiled. She hadn't been to the Hogsmeade branch before, but she knew Teddy had started working part time there after his Auror application had been denied. Many of the other students shared Rose's same curiosity, and Clearwater had to stop a few students from peeking in the windows.

The church was on a path leading farther away from the rest of Hogsmeade. Although the rest of the town was still visible, the church felt a lot more secluded. It was a large building with many layers of roof, and at the very top a large gray bell hung. To the left of the church was a field of marble white gravestones, and to the right was what looked like the frosted over remains of a garden.

"I wonder what a wizard service is like," Ben said as he trembled with excitement. "My church at home isn't nearly as pretty."

"What type of church do you go to?" Albus asked conversationally.

"My family is non-denominational." Rose didn't know what that meant. "Our church is more modern looking with a big black stage for a band inside. We don't have any paintings or anything."

Albus smiled. "I go to a presbyterian church usually. It's a Muggle church, though, so this'll be a new experience."

"Ah, yes!" Clearwater said, apparently listening in on their conversation. "Most religious wizards go to Muggle temples and churches. St. Nick's is currently the only wizard church in all of Scotland." Ben and Albus gasped in awe, but Rose didn't think it was very interesting. Clearwater was Ravenclaw Head of House, though, so she figured she probably should have expected him to say something boring and historical.

Each student followed Clearwater into the building. The song of a piano filled the room, just as loud in the back as it was in the front. Many older students and Hogsmeade citizens had already filled the benches and were chatting loudly. The group of underclassmen sat quietly in the back.

"Wow, look at that!" Rose didn't recognize the second year who had shouted, but she followed his gaze. The windows were stained glass, depicting different religious figures. One of the windows was filled with the image of a woman with a baby. She waved at the boy and he waved back.

Suddenly the booming sound of a Muggle-enhanced guitar cut into the piano and Rose jumped in her seat. She looked around desperately as others began to stand up and clap to the beat. Albus and Ben stood up on their benches and helped Rose up so they could peek over the heads of the people in front of them. A young wizard, maybe in his twenties, strummed his guitar passionately as a strawberry blonde witch pat her let, preparing herself to sing. The old lady who had played the piano had been replaced by a man with large poofy brown hair. Another witch sat at the drums, which Rose expected to have been transfigured out of something since she hadn't noticed before.

"_Did you know there is a light_

_Flowing through my veins_

_This love_

_I can feel inside out…"_

The figures in the windows had walked to the walls of the center stage and wrote the lyrics, presumedly so people could sing along. As the song went on, the window art began tussling with each other about the words, getting lyrics scrambled up and mismatched with the singer's voice. The witch took turns with the guitarist for vocals in songs, and eventually everyone was instructed to bow their heads and pray. Since they were in the back, Rose could get away with not paying attention.

After the prayer, an older wizard with a short graying beard stepped out onto the stage. He was much better dressed than most of the younger Hogwarts students with a shimmering green and gold robe. The band members lifted up their wands and hovered their instruments to the sides of the room. Everyone sat down and waited for his message. Rose didn't listen, but she occasionally lifted her head up to watch the window art reenact different scenes from the Bible, like the famous last supper and the crucifixion of Jesus.

"Oh my God." Rose was jolted awake after having dozed off for a while. Albus had the most excited look on his face.

"What?" Rose asked tiredly.

"Are you listening to this?" he whispered.

Rose shifted her gaze up at the pastor. "...He taught us that we are all the same. Instead of riches it is our love that He seeks. Now, before you all line up to drink the wine and eat the bread, let us bow our heads in prayer…" As the pastor prayed out loud, Rose gave Albus a confused look.

"You didn't hear all of it!" Albus moaned quietly. He glanced over at Clearwater and saw that his head was bowed. Albus stood from the bench and gestured for Rose to follow. She hesitated, worried that they would be caught leaving church when they weren't supposed to be in Hogsmeade otherwise, but no one was looking.

Rose and Albus sat in the graveyard next to the church, careful not to stray too far for when the underclassmen and Clearwater finished the service. "What is it?" Rose asked. "You should have known I wasn't going to listen."

Albus looked down uncomfortably and sighed. "There was this verse Pastor Jacob said right before he finished, and it…it gave me a…it gave me this _feeling_."

Rose was even more confused than before. "It gave you a feeling?" she asked skeptically. "Like a religious feeling?" He shook his head. "Okay, what was it?"

"Well, the verse was about how God doesn't see status, or something like that," Albus said carefully, "and Pastor Jacob said something like 'The first will be last and the last will be first.'"

"I thought you said this wasn't a religious feeling," Rose replied.

"It's not! Something just went off in my head when I heard that." Albus grabbed his head in frustration. "All this researching stuff is getting in my head. I think I'm just looking to find something, you know? I mean, why would a church service have anything to do with what we're trying to find?"

"Maybe it just gave you an idea," Rose said softly. "Ideas can come from anywhere."

"I got so excited about it, though," Albus said, "and now it's gone."

Rose scooted next to her cousin and gave him a squeeze. "Don't even worry about it," she said. "You'll figure it out." Albus looked doubtful. "Well, if you ask me, that line could be easily misinterpreted," she said, hoping it would help Albus remember. "I mean, I wasn't really paying attention, so maybe you or Pastor Jacob or whatever are right, but alone it sounds like a punishment-reward type thing."

Albus brightened up a bit. "Yeah, that sounds right, but that still doesn't bridge the gap of Good Friday church service to Slytherin Probation." He laughed and scratched the back of his head, embarrassed. "I've really gone bonkers, haven't I?"

Rose stood up and held out a hand to help Albus up. "You really are bonkers," she confirmed. "That's okay, though."

Albus grabbed her hand and stood up. "Good. Hey, are they going to come out anytime soon?"

"Oh yeah, I thought they were about to be done," Rose responded.

When they reached the entrance, Albus poked his head through the door. "You're gonna want to see this." He pushed the door all the way open so Rose could walk through. At first she thought it was entirely empty. No one was sitting in the benches and no one was standing in line to perform the last supper ritual. Albus pointed at the ground under the benches so Rose could see.

"Th-they're asleep?" she gasped. She noticed Clearwater's slumped head below the feet of Ben and rushed to wake them up. She grabbed her professor's shoulders and shook him. "Professor Clearwater! Wake up." Instead he mumbled absently in his sleep. Rose looked back desperately at Albus, but he wasn't there. Rose stood up above the benches and saw him fumbling around with the pastor's belongings.

"Hey, Rose, come over here!" he called. She jogged over to see that Albus was uncertainly holding a silver snake pin. "Look what I found in his bag."

"What?" Rose asked. "It probably just means he was a Slytherin back in Hogwarts." A dreaded feeling suddenly came over her and when she looked at Albus she knew he felt it, too. "Albus, you don't think…"

"Oi, Mary Magdalene!" Albus shouted. One of the figures in the window looked back at him with narrowed eyes.

"I am not Mary Magdalene, only a stain glass painting of her," she responded sternly. Rose thought it was strange. It was a bit out of character for a painting to acknowledge they were not their subject.

"Er, yes," Albus cleared his throat. "Why is everyone asleep?"

"I don't know," she responded. "When everyone sat down again Jacob got very drowsy. He completely fainted in the middle of his sentence, even! Then everyone else followed."

"Why would everyone fall asleep except us?" Albus asked to himself.

"We weren't in there," Rose responded.

"We didn't eat or drink, either," Albus followed. He looked back at the figure of Mary Magdalene in the window. "Was anyone in here that wasn't supposed to be before the service?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I wish I was here. Usually I explore other Mary Magdalene portraits when nothing's going on in here. The others do the same."

"Thank you." He turned back to Rose. "We have to wake them up. Go see if Professor Kettleburn is in his office. We're going to need a lot of Awakening Potion."

Rose stared back with wide eyes. "You think someone did this to them?"

"How could someone have not?" he asked. "Everyone falls asleep for no good reason at the same time—it has to have been done to them."

"And you think the pin has something to do with it?" Rose replied.

Albus glanced at the snake pin. "You said it yourself. He must have been a Slytherin."

"He deserved it though, right?" Rose said. "He's a Slytherin." Albus glared at Rose. "I just mean—well, you know."

"Even if he did deserve this, which he _doesn't_, that doesn't mean everyone in the church deserved it, too."

Rose shrugged. "Maybe it's to make him look bad."

Albus sighed. "Just go get Kettleburn. I'll stay and see if anyone comes back." Rose nodded and began to jog away from the church and back towards Hogwarts. She couldn't help but wonder if Malfoy really was right to worry about whatever he was worrying about. An entire building of people asleep couldn't be an accident, could it?

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**Once again, if you didn't read the warning before, this is not a religious fanfic. I don't want anyone to get offended somehow, so please don't.**

**Anyways, Thank you for reading! Things got more interesting in this chapter... I'm excited to write about how things unfold.**


	15. Questions

**I'm in Italy now and I've felt so inspired ever since I got here. I haven't had much downtime until today, but I think that worked out well. It means I've had days to think about all the ways I could take this chapter before I actually wrote it. Here it is! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I do own this story's creative energy, though.**

* * *

**When Everything Changes**

**Chapter 15**

**Questions**

_In Totem's lair. _A green goblin with sickly long white hair stroked the gem and chuckled to himself. He placed the red stone in a long tube and pressed a red button. Jets of green light shot around the inside of the tube, absorbing the gem. A large black rat crept up behind him. _"The feather…?"_ Totem growled.

The rat grew larger, its fur sprinkling off and replacing itself with shaggy clothes. Its twisted face transfigured into that of a shaded man's. _"How about the whole bird?"_ He pulled out a trembling phoenix, unable to escape his grasp. Totem plucked the bird from the man's clutch and placed it on a target mat. A giant wand hung over the bird, connected to the red gem.

_Crack!_ Unseen, the phoenix began to transform. Totem's smirk grew into a twisted grin. _"The Man of Silver will never see it coming…"_

"Did you hear?"

"Huh?" Drake looked up from his comic book and saw his father. Cadmus Urquhart had a copy of the _Daily Prophet_ open in his left hand and a cup of tea in the other. "Hear what, sir?"

Drake's father slapped the article over the comic book. "Read this. It'll do you good to read the paper instead of your ridiculous cartoons."

"They're comic books, not cartoons," Drake retorted, "and they're not ridiculous."

"Quiet, boy. Read."

Drake coughed. "Yes, sir."

_**An Entire Church in Hogsmeade Put to Sleep**_

_Avery Klum_

_Early Friday morning an unprovoked attack against St. Nick's Church located in Hogsmeade, Scotland occurred. An entire congregation was discovered by two students to have fallen asleep towards the end of a Good Friday Service. Ministry Aurors were on the scene within a half an hour and blocked off the area._

_One student was able to heal Hogwarts professor Marcus Clearwater, who had been supervising the first and second year students during their stay in Hogsmeade. "An attack on a wizard's beliefs is unaccessible," he commented, still dazed from the poison. "Stubbins have been hurf." The Apparation restrictions were temporarily taken down to give way for MediWizards, who took victims to St. Mungo's Hospital to be treated._

_Hogwarts Healer Hannah Longbottom was able to make a comment. "I am very close with many of my students. I want to believe this was simply an unfortunate accident, but I know that's only wishful thinking. I don't want to assume anything, but if I had to guess I'd say the church was struck by a Draught of the Living Death, or a modification of it. The Awakening Potion was able to bring Marcus out of his sleep, but he's clearly still out of it. I am confident, however, that the Healers at St. Mungo's will be able to help the attendants. They are easily the most skilled Healers in all of Europe."_

_The Aurors refused to comment and requested we redact the names of the students involved._

_St. Nick's remains closed over Easter for the Aurors to investigate. Posted on the door are a list of the five nearest Muggle churches and locations of various portkeys for travel._

A grainy picture hung below the article. The picture panned across the church with various Ministry officers sprinkled around the area. A girl and a boy around Drake's age ran off the edge of the picture and he handed the paper back to his father. "Now I'm even happier I came home for the holiday," he said.

"You see why I can't have you hanging around that Potter boy now?" Cadmus said gruffly.

Drake looked down at the table. "I don't really see the connection, sir. I wouldn't have been at church, anyways," he said.

Drake's father folded up the paper and put down his tea. "They're not targeting you specifically."

Drake gulped. "Who's 'They'?" he asked.

His father shook his head in a disappointed manner, as if he should already know. "You should be going back to school soon."

"You're going to put me back in school, then?" Drake gasped. "After all that sleep potion spread in Hogsmeade?" He didn't like school. He would say anything to get out of it.

"You're a lot safer there than here, boy. I should have your mother drop you off at the train station immediately." Cadmus took another sip of his tea before he called for his wife. "Pansy!"

A small woman with a powerful stern look on her face appeared in the doorway from the living room. "Yes, Cadmus?" she said stiffly.

"Bring the boy to Kings Cross, will you?" Cadmus said as he cut up sausages on his plate. "I have my, uh, meeting to get to today." Drake didn't understand why his father would have a meeting. It's not like he worked for the Ministry or anywhere important.

"I'm coming with you," Pansy said immediately. Cadmus and Pansy exchange an angry glare and then looked back at Drake. "You're eleven now. You can make it to the train yourself."

Drake nodded nervously. He didn't know the way very well, but he didn't want to question his mother. "I'll just…Floo powder to Diagon Alley and make my way to King's Cross from there."

"Good. Your father and I will be off, then?" She looked at Cadmus.

"Right," he said gruffly.

Drake followed his parents into the living room where the fireplace was, but Pansy pushed him out and shut the door. "Go pack!" she spat venomously. Instead Drake pressed his ear against the door.

"You know exactly why I don't want you there," said the muffled voice of Cadmus.

"Hogwarts was ages ago," Pansy responded. "Quickly, before Drake comes back."

There was a long pause. For a while there, Drake wondered if his parents had Disapperated instead. Finally, his father muttered, "Malfoy Manor." Then there was silence again. Drake didn't understand why his parents would want to visit Scorpius's parents. They had when he'd gotten into trouble over Christmas holiday for mentioning Albus, but he didn't think their parents had actually known each other before then.

Drake ran upstairs and dove under his bed where his house elf took refuge. "Hey Bear. Can you pack for me?"

The young house elf crawled out and stared at his messy heap of a room with wide eyes. "Yes, Master Drake." Bear snapped his fingers and the clothes appeared neatly in his trunk.

"Ah, thank you!" Drake rummaged around in his pocket and pulled out a candy he'd taken from a Muggle neighbor's yard. "I hope you like chocolate."

Bear leapt up and grabbed the small foil wrapped egg from his hand and gobbled it up. "Bear loves chocolate!" he exclaimed happily.

Drake pulled his trunk downstairs and walked cautiously into the living room. He knew his parents were gone and had given him permission, but usually he wasn't allowed to use the Floo network alone. He scooped up a handful of green dust and held his arm out over the flames, but for a moment he hesitated. He thought about his mother's rush to join in on his father's meeting and the fact that it was at the Malfoy's. He considered following his parents to see what they were really up to, but then quickly changed his mind. They wouldn't like that. "Kings Cross Station." He dropped the dust and a giant green flame erupted. He stepped into the fire as his nerves grew. Hopefully nothing would go wrong during his first trip alone.

The train was a little bare, like it had been on the way from school a week before. Most Slytherins only went home for the Christmas holiday. When no one came to join him in his compartment, Drake opened his comic book to read more. After an hour or so he grew bored and fell asleep. When he woke up, the train was just arriving at Hogwarts Station.

As he left Hogwarts Express, Drake became acutely aware of eyes watching him. He looked around him as he walked and Twister hooted like he always did when he wanted to play. Suddenly he crashed into…well…something. He took a step back. There was nothing except the carriages enchanted to carry students back to Hogwarts. Drake hesitantly lifted his trunk up onto the carriage.

When he arrived at the gates of Hogwarts, Filch stopped him. "Any dark magic you have there?" he growled. The tabby cat Mrs. Norris stared at him with wide red eyes, but did not make a sound. Drake shook his head. He didn't remember this from coming back after Christmas.

"Drake!" Drake jumped. He didn't expect to hear his name so suddenly. He looked towards the source of the voice to see Albus's dad, seemingly having appeared out of thin air.

"Mr. Potter!" Drake exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

The man smiled warmly. "Official Auror business. You might have read about it in the _Daily Prophet_, but I assure you there's nothing to worry about. This kind of thing happens all the time."

Drake stared at him blankly. "People mysteriously get knocked out all the time?"

"Practical jokes gone too far," Harry responded. "Er, Argus? I believe that is all the screening Drake will need." He spoke Filch's name strangely as if he felt like they shouldn't be on first name basis. Filch muttered something rude under his breath as he turned to the next student.

"Thanks," Drake whispered.

"Anytime." Harry waved as Drake made his way up the steps into the castle.

At the feast he couldn't find Scorpius, so he went back to the Slytherin common room. He fell asleep waiting for his friend to appear. When he awoke Scorpius had already left for Charms, which came across as very strange to Drake. In a paranoid moment he wondered if Scorpius was mad at him, but he couldn't come up with any reason why he would be. When he reached class he couldn't find his friend anywhere. He noticed Albus and Rose and sat next to them instead.

Albus smiled when he saw Drake. "How was your holiday?" he asked.

Drake shrugged. "Pretty boring, actually. I wish I stayed here with you and Scorpius."

"Ours was a lot more eventful," Albus admitted. "Of course you heard about—"

"Yeah, it was in the _Daily Prophet_, and I saw your dad checking students as they came in," Drake said. Everyone had settled in, so he made another quick scan for his friend. "Where is Scorpius, anyways?" he asked.

"I bet they've detained him," Rose snickered. "Serves him right."

"Serves him right for what?" Drake asked. "Scorpius wasn't even there. He doesn't even go to church."

"I bet he did it anyways." Rose crossed her arms and stuck out her tongue.

Drake looked at Albus, the more reasonable one. "But your dad said it was just a prank gone wrong."

Albus sighed. "That's what he says, but he wouldn't be here if he actually thought that."

Drake frowned. "Scorpius didn't do anything."

"I know, but Rose doesn't think so."

"Class, settle down!" Their petite professor stood at the front of the classroom. The room fell silent. She was small, but she had presence. "Today I am teaching a spell that you will likely use your entire lives, so pay attention." She waved her wand and the lights in the classroom flickered out. "_Lumos_!" An orb of light shined out from the tip of her wand, and the students made gasps of awe. "_Nox_!" The light went out, and the class lights came back on. "I want everyone to get into pairs. This is not a two person spell, but this is a harder spell to learn. It might help to have another student suffering with you."

Rose immediately turned to Albus. "Be my partner?" Drake frowned and looked around for another person to pair up with. Pretty quickly, everyone had a partner and Drake did not.

"I guess that's you and me." _Oh great._ He'd recognize that cocky voice anywhere.

"Jordan," Drake said stiffly.

The boy made a dumb expression and said in a mocking voice, "Urquhart." He laughed. "You know, I really hate when people call me that. Then they just think it's my first name."

"Let's just get on with it, _Garry_."

"I think we should, _Drake_." Professor Fawley dimmed the lights so the students could practice and still see each other. "This spell looks easy enough. My dad does it all the time. _Lumos_!" A little bit of light sputtered up, but quickly disappeared.

"Hm." Drake looked at his wand and shook it. "_Lumos_!" It didn't do anything. Thankfully, no one else had seemed to make any progress so he didn't look too bad. Drake hated having classes with Ravenclaws since they always did well quickly enough.

Garry gave his wand a few more tries, making large gestures with his arms as he spoke the incantation. He even tried emphasizing "_Lumos_" in different ways. Finally, first in class as always, a burst of light shot from Garry's wand. "Yes! I did it! I did it everyone! All hail me! Now I just need to figure out how to turn it off… _Nox_!" The wand remained lit.

Drake frowned and shouted "_Lumos_!" again. He wished Scorpius were there. Then class wouldn't be so boring and they could talk instead of learning.

"_Nox_! _Noooooox_! _NOX_!" Garry laughed. "Oh, I'm only joking. Turning this off is easy. _Nox_!"

Drake buried his face in his hands. "This is torture," he mumbled to himself.

"_Aguamenti_!"

A bit of water splashed Drake's hands. "Are you shooting water at my face?" he asked through gritted teeth. The water stopped and he uncovered his face.

"No, I'm putting your hand in water," Garry replied. "Are you peeing?"

"What?"

"Are you peeing?" he repeated. "I got your hand wet."

Drake groaned. "It doesn't work like that. It's a hand in water, not a hand wet. You think people have never gotten their hands wet before?"

Garry nodded with a finger on his chin, making sounds of approval. "Mhm. Mhm. Yeah, I'll try that. You have that mouse with you?"

Drake hesitated. "Today I do," he said slowly. What was he going to do?

"Give it here, then." Garry looked a little too excited.

Drake lifted a pocket and whispered for Scamp, hoping Fawley wouldn't notice an animal in her classroom. The little guy poked his head out curiously, and allowed Drake to place him on the desk. Garry got a scrunched, concentrated look on his face and pointed his wand at the mouse. "_Vera Verto_!" Drake was amazed. They hadn't even learned that spell yet. The quill transformed into a small goblet. "_Aguamenti_!" The goblet filled with water. Garry grabbed Drake's hand and dunked it into the water. "Now is it working?"

"No," he growled in response. He couldn't help but feel that Garry was very, very stupid. Except he couldn't think that when he was actually so smart. _I hate this_.

"I guess you were wrong then. Where's Trevor when you need him?" Drake stood up straight when Garry said this and looked around. Although it was dark, he could see that Trevor Goldstein wasn't there, either. "I got a letter from him last night. He went home for Passover and apparently his mummy and daddy won't let him back to Hogwarts until this whole Auror business has blown over. Lame."

Drake was disappointed. Scorpius wouldn't be stuck home because he hadn't even gone home over the holiday. "Can you turn him back? Scamp didn't really like it when he was a matchbox."

Garry shrugged. "I would if I remembered how. Too bad."

Drake thought venomous thoughts as he stuffed the goblet back into his pocket. He tried his wand again. "_Lumos_!" It didn't work. When class was over Drake lumbered on to his next boring, stupid class, feeling more and more foul. Before he had reached History of Magic, though, he noticed a few older students in the corridor whispering to each other suspiciously.

"…clearly innocent. He should be in class," a tall blonde Ravenclaw boy said quietly.

The younger brunette Hufflepuff clearly thought otherwise. "Harry, I know you're Head of the department, but honestly, you're too soft."

The boy crossed his arms. "I know him. He's harmless."

"He's a Malfoy." Drake's attention perked up. A Malfoy? That must be Scorpius! "His whole family served Voldemort."

"Let me question him, then," the boy responded.

The girl sighed. "You know you shouldn't. You can't be impartial if he's your son's friend." Drake thought he must have heard that wrong. No student in Hogwarts was old enough to have a son, let alone one who was friends with Scorpius. The girl looked up as a small door grew out of the blank wall they stood next to. "I'm off then. Thanks for your concern, but I've got this." The girl disappeared into the room as the boy rushed away, probably hurrying off to his next class. Drake slipped behind the girl when her head was turned and entered the mysterious room.

It was a tiny room. There wasn't much to hide behind, but thankfully he was still pretty small so he was able to duck under a table on the side of the room. He peeked over and saw a hard-looking woman instead of the Hufflepuff girl sitting across from Scorpius. Scorpius didn't seem harmed in any way, but he looked pretty drained. He had dark circles under his eyes and would yawn every so often as if he'd hardly had a chance to sleep. "I apologize for keeping you so long," the woman said kindly. "We've had a few people to question and your batch took longer than expected."

"Okay," Scorpius said slowly, as if unsure of what to say. "I'm still really confused on what I'm here for."

"Just a few questions." The woman smiled kindly, but Drake had a feeling it was fake. Her eyes said otherwise. "I'm sure you've heard about the events that took place on Friday."

"I guess," Scorpius said. "My friends told me."

"Who are your friends?"

The blonde boy shrugged. "Albus Potter and Rose Weasley. Well, Rose isn't really a friend, but she's Albus's cousin, so she sort of is."

"Ah, interesting." The woman wrote a few notes on a piece of paper. "And what motivated your friendship with Albus?" The goblet in Drake's pocket began squirming. He could feel Scamp trying to come out.

"He's cool, I guess." Scorpius shifted in his seat uncomfortably.

"Alright, then." The woman put down her quill. "Where were you from 9:00 to 10:00am Friday morning?" She rested her chin on her hand, which had been drawn into a fist.

"Slytherin dormitories," Scorpius replied. "Sleeping."

"Sleeping in so late?" Drake raised an eyebrow. On weekends he sometimes slept in until noon. 10:00am didn't seem late at all. "Why?" The goblet in his pocket started to wiggle more. Drake had to hold it down just to stop it from squirming out.

Scorpius cleared his throat. "Studying." He spoke a little too quickly, as if he'd planned the answer. It was true in a sense. Drake would bet anything that Scorpius had stayed up late researching his favorite topic of Slytherin Probation.

"Studying on a holiday break," the woman repeated doubtfully. The goblet grew excited, unable to contain itself. Drake tried holding on, but it was too strong. The cup of silver struggled free of his grasp and hopped about a foot away, making a loud clanging noise as it hit the floor.

"Scamp!" Drake whispered. He never imagined he'd be overpowered by a cup, let alone at the worst time possible. The woman's gaze shot him immediately, and Scorpius stared at him with his mouth wide open. "Um, sorry about that," Drake gasped. He removed himself from his hiding place under the table and scooped up the goblet. "He's really a mouse."

The intimidating woman stared at both of them with an unreadable expression. "That will be all, Scorpius," she said. "I believe I have everything I need."

Scorpius hopped up out of his seat and bolted to the door. Drake jumped after him, not missing a beat. "We can skip History of Magic if you want," Drake said helpfully once they'd cleared themselves from the corridor. "Binns is probably lecturing on something boring like Troll Wars again."

"Troll Wars sounds good," Scorpius replied. "Let's just get out of here before she changes her mind."

Drake nodded. "Agreed." The pair ran all the way to History of Magic without even stopping to look back. Drake didn't understand what was going on, but he had a feeling it was bad. Very bad.

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**I hope you liked it! Please leave a review, favorite, or follow. If you do all three I'll be even more happy. Until next time!**


	16. The Problem With Magic

**I'm back from Italy! Thankfully today the show I was doing tech for lasted all day, so I had lots of time to finally work on this. Oh, and I got some really heartwarming reviews recently, so thank you Emiliya Wolfe :) I wasn't expecting something so nice.**

**Disclaimer: I am not the original author of Harry Potter.**

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**When Everything Changes**

**Chapter 16**

**The Problem With Magic**

It was a foggy day at the Quidditch Pitch. Gryffindors and Slytherins lined up in front of Madam Jones. Students each held their assigned brooms parallel to their bodies and looked at their teacher, awaiting instruction. A cool breeze brushed up against Scorpius's back and he shivered. He loved Quidditch, but he didn't love it in overcast conditions. Besides, this was a big day for first years. They were learning their teammates for their final exam.

Jones's brown eyes glimmered as she stared back at her students, giving a moment of eye contact with each one of them. Finally, she spoke. "I have witnessed your strengths and your weaknesses. A Quidditch player has only one focus on a team. A Seeker, however skilled, would rarely make a professional Beater. A Chaser and a Keeper, however similar, are best to stick with their strong suit. I do not wish to laugh at your faults. I would rather marvel at your achievements." The woman paused. Her short brown hair rustled in the wind. On sunny days, it could glow a nice golden blonde, but today it looked dreary. Scorpius thought about his cousin Zephyr. She had told him that the key to any Quidditch team's victory was the bond between teammates. If any one member was out of sync with the rest, it could lead to a crushing defeat. Between Gryffindor and Slytherin, mixed teams could be rough. He hoped he wouldn't get stuck with any of the more argumentative students. Jones cleared her throat. "I will divide you into four groups. Do not ask me to change your assignment or team. I have based each position on talent, and have made teams as even in skill as possible."

"I don't suppose you're dividing up friends?" Drake asked nervously. Scorpius suspected he wanted to team with him or Albus. Drake was talented at flying with his friends, but when it came to multitasking with the added pressure of flying with unfamiliar people he tended to fumble.

Their once professional Quidditch player instructor frowned at the boy and the dark skin around her eyes wrinkled into a glare. "I could care less about your friendships. The teams are evenly talented. It does not matter to me if you choose to waste valuable practice time goofing off with your friends." Drake gulped. The only students that actually liked Madam Jones were the most talented ones, and Drake didn't exactly qualify. Though she may have been a famed Beater of the Holyhead Harpies in her glory days, it didn't make her a good teacher—just an arrogant one. She pulled out a scroll of paper and began to read off names. "First team! Anderson will be Keeper, Jane, Berry, and Potter as Chasers, Takahashi and Wolff are Beaters, and the Seeker as Entwhistle." The students called glanced around at each other and then moved to the side to gather together. Albus seemed a little lost among his teammates. He looked back warily at his friends. Scorpius didn't envy him. "Second team! Keeper, Eisemann. Chasers, Zabini, McNielle, and Rogers. Beaters, Jordan and Goldstein. Seeker, Drake." Drake appeared to be even more displeased with his group. Garry and Trevor were just about the most idiotic people he knew. "Third team! Keeper, Weasley. Chasers, Malfoy, Peters, and Smith. Beaters, Lahti and Bozigian. Seeker, Coulby." Scorpius bit back a scowl. Rose and Shaelyn were probably the worst teammates he could have asked for. On top of that, his assigned position meant that Jones didn't think he'd make a good Seeker. Next year the position would be open. Scorpius wanted to make the team.

As Jones announced the fourth team, Scorpius gathered with his teammates. "So, what's the plan?" He glanced uncertainly at his teammates.

Shaelyn and Daven Lahti stepped forward immediately into the circle, but she beat him to it. "I'll be team captain," she said. Scorpius was amazed at how eager she looked. Shaelyn was definitely a talented Quidditch player, but she rarely seemed to care that much about anything Hogwarts related. Her teammates didn't seem nearly as eager about her leading their practices. Hazel Bozigian and Michelle Smith glanced at each other uncertainly, while Rose held on a fake smile.

Daven rolled his eyes. "I'd like to lead, as well." He was a dark skinned boy with unruly brown hair. Scorpius had heard of the Lahti family from his grandfather Lucias. They were one of the rare _true _pureblooded families, reining from Finland. Scorpius thought he could be rather arrogant. "A vote then?"

Shaelyn's eyes shot daggers at him. "Fine," she replied through gritted teeth. "Who votes for me?" Rose raised her hand halfheartedly, which Scorpius didn't understand.

"And for me?" Scorpius and Michelle voted for their fellow Slytherin. Hazel and Parker Coulby were hesitant, but they seemed to prefer even their enemy House over Shaelyn. "It's settled then."

The four teams gathered in front of Jones again. "I'll need to know your team names."

Luke Anderson stepped forward as captain of Albus's team. "We are the Sparrows."

Jones scribbled the title on a piece of parchment and looked up at the next team. A Gryffindor girl that Scorpius didn't know stepped forward. "The Winged Horses."

Garry stepped forward next with a few of his team members snickering behind him. Drake nervously glanced at Madam Jones. "The Follyhead Harpies."

Their teacher pressed her lips into a thin line. "Hilarious, Jordan. Keep this up and you'll pass with flying colors." Her voice was dripping with sarcasm.

Daven stepped forward next. "My team will be called the Dragon Riders."

"_Your_ team?" Jones asked. She glanced in between Daven and Shaelyn. "I would have hoped for better. Very well." Daven frowned. Next she addressed the entire class. "You have the rest of the hour to practice. Play against each other or work out strategies if you want."

"Dragon Riders! Follow me!" Daven called, as if he was commanding an army. The group reluctantly followed him to the right side of the Quidditch Pitch before another team claimed it.

"I didn't vote for Dragon Riders," Hazel muttered.

Daven looked over his shoulder at the Gryffindor girl. "I'm the Captain, I choose the team name."

"Chimera would have been better," she replied, ignoring him. "The head of a lion and tail of a snake." Scorpius agreed with her, but he didn't say anything. That would imply that Slytherin and Gryffindor were united, which they weren't.

"Chimeras don't fly," Daven replied. "They're also part goat. Goats are pretty unimpressive." He hopped on his broom and swooped upwards to the sky. The Dragon Riders followed, circling around him once they were all in the air. "If we're going to win, we'll have to smooth over our weaknesses," he said. "Weasley, no offense or anything…"

Rose scowled at the boy. "Yeah, yeah, I get it."

"Don't even worry about it," Daven replied. "We are going to beat the failure out of you."

"Thanks." It didn't seem like Rose actually appreciated these words. "How?"

"Michelle, Bozigian, and Coulby will be one team of Chasers. Scorpius, Peters, and myself will be the other. Whoever scores the most against Weasley wins," he said with confidence. Rose unsteadily made her way to the goal posts and looked back at her team.

Hazel coughed. "Aren't we Beaters?" she asked. "Seeker is similar enough to Chaser, but Beater is pretty different."

"Aren't _I_ the Captain?" Daven snapped. "You all voted for me." He held up the Quaffle and threw it up into the air. As it came down, he caught it and passed it to Scorpius. As Scorpius caught the ball, Hazel rammed her broom into his and he dropped the ball into her arms. She launched the Quaffle at one of the lower hoops and scored. As Rose flew to the ground to retrieve it, Daven grinned at Hazel. "See? You'd be a fine Chaser."

"Except that move's illegal," Shaelyn muttered under her breath. She turned her head to Rose. "Hurry up, slowpoke!" Rose returned as quickly as she could, her face red from concentration. She threw the ball back with terrible aim, and Shaelyn had to drop a few feet under to catch it. "God, you're the worst."

"Hey, she's doing the best she can!" Scorpius called. Rose may be annoying, but she was still Albus's cousin. He couldn't help but feel defensive about her.

The red haired girl looked back at him, but instead of gratitude, hate filled her eyes. "Stay out of this, Malfoy!"

"I'm just trying to help," Scorpius exclaimed. He couldn't believe it. Even when he was nice, he was still evil to her.

"Oh yeah?" Rose shouted. "This is the best I can do? Completely miss a catch and throw a Quaffle lopsidedly? Thanks, you're a real helper. I'm glad you spoke up." Scorpius frowned. There was no winning with this girl.

"Get on with it, then." Daven was pretty peeved. He didn't like it when people didn't listen to him.

Shaelyn threw the ball back at the large center hoop and Rose missed it again. "We can't legitimately practice when our Keeper sucks." The Dragon Riders tried a few more times, but what Shaelyn said was true. Quidditch had turned into a game of Horse, with each Chaser taking turns to shoot the Quaffle into the goal post. Rose missed every time to the team's growing frustration. The Chasers stopped battling each other for the ball all so they could humiliate Rose with her lack of talent. Scorpius grew bored waiting for Rose to get better. Her catches were getting worse and worse, so he assumed she was as well. Eventually Shaelyn looked back at Daven. "Just kick her out, Lahti."

"We can't," he responded, the confidence in his voice cracking. "We're going to lose if she can't catch a Quaffle."

Shaelyn sighed. "Madam Jones is going to grade us based on individual talents. I'm not going to waste my time training an idiot who can't play catch." Rose looked down at her broom with her thick curly hair covering her face. "We're not even acting as real Chasers. We're so focused on scoring a goal that we aren't even stealing the Quaffle from each other to do it ourselves."

"How would you do it, then?" Daven asked, sounding more like a threat than an invitation to speak.

"Easy. Abandon Weasley. She sits and watches while we practice passing the Quaffle between our teammates. Forget about the idea of goalposts since we only have one set." She pointed at one of the tall towers that surrounded the Quidditch Pitch. "The bounds will be that Ravenclaw tower for Malfoy, yourself, and me." She swung her arm around to the opposite end. "Coulby, Smith, and Bozigian will shoot for that Gryffindor tower. To get a point you need to get it in the stands." Daven nodded slowly. He didn't like it, but Scorpius thought it was a good plan. Well, except for Rose. She was going to be hopeless for their final exam.

"We'll try it your way," Daven said after some time.

"I'll start," Parker said. Shaelyn passed the Quaffle to him and aligned herself to quickly steal the ball away. Rose flew down to one of the stands and slumped over a chair. Parker started at once, ducking under Shaelyn. He threw the ball to Michelle, who was rammed into by Daven. Michelle dropped the Quaffle and Scorpius grabbed it out of the air. Daven broke away from Michelle and Scorpius passed it back to Daven. Hazel intercepted a pass to Shaelyn, but Shaelyn was quick to swoop into the Quaffle again.

Scorpius turned towards the blue and bronze Ravenclaw tower and waved to catch Shaelyn's attention. "I'm open!" Parker and Hazel closed in around Shaelyn while Michelle guarded Daven. Shaelyn caught Scorpius's eye, but didn't respond to him. Instead she attempted the impossible throw from her location to the stands. Scorpius tried to catch the Quaffle, but it soared much too far away for him to catch up to it. Michelle got there first and passed it back to Hazel. Scorpius sent Shaelyn a glare, but she brushed it off and zoomed back into the game. Eventually she got the Quaffle back, and Scorpius caught up to her so she could pass it back and forth between them. She wouldn't. "You can't hold on to the Quaffle for that long," Scorpius shouted over the wind. Shaelyn threw the Quaffle at his face. "Ow!"

They passed the ball between each other as they travelled back towards the Ravenclaw tower. Scorpius thought he saw an opening to shoot the goal, but Parker caught the Quaffle out of the air. Shaelyn rammed into Scorpius. "You should have passed it to me," she shouted.

A whistle shrieked through the air calling everyone in. Scorpius didn't realize how exhausted he was until he landed on the ground. "I highly recommend that you practice out of class, as well, but remember to call on a supervisor. Some of you will need more practice than others." Jones's eyes lingered on Rose, whose face turned red. "Dismissed."

The students lined up to drop their brooms off in the shed. When Scorpius dropped off his broom, the scarlet of Shaelyn's Gryffindor robes caught his eye. She hurried back to the castle as she always did after class and Scorpius had to chase after her. "Oi! Peters!" Shaelyn kept moving. Either she couldn't hear him, or she didn't care. Scorpius jogged up to Shaelyn and grabbed her arm. "What's the big idea, Peters?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Malfoy." She kept walking away as if his presence somehow disgusted her.

"Shaelyn." Scorpius was sure to keep his voice cool and level. He'd learned from his interactions with Rose that the only way to deal with hotheaded people was to remain calmer than them. Of course, Rose would continue to be explosive even after Scorpius brought down the energy, but he liked to think it helped a little. "Why do you hate me?"

Shaelyn slowed down and she narrowed her eyes. "What makes you say that?" she asked carefully.

Scorpius took a deep breath. "Clearly you don't like me. At first I thought it was because I am a Slytherin, but you don't like Rose either."

"I don't like people who think they're better than me," Shaelyn said.

"I don't think I'm better than you," he said slowly.

"You do. You all do." When they reached the castle Shaelyn held the door open for Scorpius. He almost felt excited. She actually was inviting him to continue the conversation. This was new.

"How?" Scorpius knew a lot of people that didn't like Shaelyn, but that was because she didn't like them, not because they thought they were better than her. He tried to think. Who was Shaelyn friends with? "Garry Jordan doesn't think he's better than you. You know that."

"Is he the only one you can think of?" Shaelyn snapped.

"He's the only one _you_ can think of," Scorpius shot back. "What kind of an idea is that, anyways?" When Shaelyn didn't respond he continued. "You hate all the Slytherins, but you hate Rose more. You dislike all the other Gryffindors except for Garry. I haven't gotten the impression that you're on good terms with the Ravenclaws or Hufflepuffs either. You checked out a copy of _A Mudblood's Life_ from the library before me. Why?" That last part came out without him meaning to say it. He worried that he had let on that he knew more about her than he should.

"I'm a muggleborn," Shaelyn responded. "I want to know about my people. Why were you reading it?"

_That's a good question,_ Scorpius thought. "I wanted to know more about the war," he said. It wasn't a lie. "That book, though…"

"That book what?"

"It's very," Scorpius took a moment's pause, "angry."

Shaelyn crossed her arms and her nostrils flared. "How could it not be? Your people persecuted mine. Muggleborns were forced into hiding, upon threat of death. Dozens of witches and wizards were given the dementer's kiss based on pure speculation and the ridiculous notion that muggleborns were Muggles with stolen wands. Anyone with any kind of Muggle heritage was looked down upon. And why? Because people like you thought they were better." Scorpius hoped she couldn't see the color drain from his face. He didn't like hearing about what his family had done, and he couldn't deny the events because his grandfather had even bragged about it several times.

"Just because I'm a pureblood—it doesn't make me evil!" Scorpius stammered. "You're going on about being judged, but you're judging me right now, too. You're talking like you're being persecuted against right now, but you're not. People judge me all the time for what my parents did, but it's not like I was there. Just a few weeks ago I was held for questioning about that whole sleep potion thing, and I wasn't even there! I was sleeping in my own dormitory. And of course no one could take account for where I was because I was _sleeping_. Even Professor Clearwater looks at me funny now because I was questioned about it."

Shaelyn put her hands on her hips. "Hm." She moved to walk away.

"You don't sound surprised."

Shaelyn turned back to Scorpius. "No, I suppose not."

"They never caught the wizard who did it," Scorpius said suspiciously.

"No, they didn't." Shaelyn began to study her nails.

"You're getting quiet."

Shaelyn sighed. "You think it was me, don't you?" Scorpius opened his mouth to speak, but there were no words to say. "Don't worry. It wasn't. That doesn't mean I don't agree with them, though."

"What?" None of the Aurors had even understood what the motivation was behind the sleeping enchantment. There had been other victims of these 'peaceful' attacks, but there had been no connection found.

"It's obvious, really," Shaelyn responded. "No one knows because they're not looking at it through the right lens, but it's obvious."

He couldn't help but ask. "Why would someone put a church to sleep?"

Her lips quivered, as if she were suppressing a smile. "Where was the church?"

"Hogsmeade."

"What is this particular church famous for?" Scorpius shrugged. He didn't study up much on church history. "It is the only magical church in all of Scotland. One of the few in the world, even."

"So?" He still couldn't see the connection.

"I find the other muggleborns here fascinating," Shaelyn said, suddenly changing the subject. "They brag to each other about how they're the pride of their families, being magical."

"I don't think—"

"Professor Puffet, the Muggle Studies teacher, has lent me old newspaper articles to read. Terrible rumors about squibs popping up in important families, like being unmagical is somehow shameful, somehow their fault."

"That doesn't mean—"

"Old wizards creeping around Lumen, murdering an entire Muggle family for the sole offense of being Muggles." The air suddenly grew cold and Scorpius shivered. He crossed his arms for warmth. "That church being open only for wizards is everything that is wrong with this world. Wizards look down upon Muggles. Wizards want nothing to do with Muggles. They would rather separate them from their lives, or from existence entirely. It's not right."

Scorpius took a deep breath. "How does putting an entire congregation to sleep stop that?"

"The church coordinated efforts to send wizards to Muggle churches, did it not?"

"Oh."

"I hate people who look down upon me," she repeated.

"You're not a Muggle, though," Scorpius said quietly.

"No," Shaelyn said. "I'm not."

* * *

**Yay! You finally have an idea of where I'm heading with this! As always, I hope you enjoyed the new chapter. Don't forget to review, follow, and favorite.**


	17. Polyjuice Potion

**Thank you everyone for the support! I still can't believe that I've written as much as I have. My vision for this story is very vivid, and I hope to write it until the end.**

**Disclaimer: I'm not even British, so no, I did not write the original Harry Potter.**

* * *

**When Everything Changes**

**Chapter 17**

**Polyjuice Potion**

Scorpius usually wasn't allowed in the Gryffindor common room, but Albus had let him in despite Rose's protests. Scorpius hadn't been open to the idea at first either, but mainly because he was worried a Gryffindor would walk by and overhear their scheming. Albus knew that wouldn't be an issue, though. It was the last Quidditch game of the season, and not a single Gryffindor would want to miss their team pulverize the Hufflepuffs—that is, except for Albus and Rose. Even the less sport-oriented students were watching. Scorpius took a look at the students in the room as he entered. Rose was lounging in the reclining chair as she used flashcards to memorize dates for the History of Magic exam, and Albus had returned sitting upright at the coffee table. Scorpius glanced nervously at Albus. "What's she doing here?" Heidi Chang sat beside Albus, painting a white chevron pattern on her blue nails.

Heidi glanced up and grinned. "Scorpius! Long time no see." She smiled shyly at Albus and held up her hands. "Can you, uh-?"

Albus lifted his dark brown wand and pointed it at her wet nails. "_Ongles arida_!" A blue gas erupted from his wand, and Heidi's fingernails glazed over.

"Er, no offense, but I wasn't expecting you." Scorpius was clearly displeased with the fact that Heidi was there.

"She sort of followed me," Albus admitted guiltily. He hoped she wouldn't be offended.

"We told her we needed to study and she decided she could help us," Rose added grudgingly as she flipped over one of the cards. She frowned and mumbled to herself, "The Goblin Invasion, of course."

"Yes," Scorpius paused, "We're studying. I just, uh, forgot to bring my notes."

Heidi grinned and twirled a strand of her straight brown hair around her finger. "That's totally fine. I spent the entirety of last night memorizing everything I could about the textbook. I was just thinking up the perfect method of re-teaching it to you while I was painting my nails."

"Oh," Scorpius said with great hesitation. "So we're really doing this?" He absolutely hated homework. The last thing Albus would ever do is ask Scorpius or Drake for homework help. It was kind of surprising considering Scorpius's dedication to the Slytherin Probation research. "I'm missing the last Quidditch game of the year to study."

"It's not like it's your own House playing, or anything," Rose stated bitterly.

Suddenly there was a loud bang on the door. "Oi! It's Drake-!"

He was interrupted by the scream of the Fat Lady. "I asked for a password! If you don't have it you will need to leave at once." The banging continued. "You're going to poke a hole in me! This is a very delicate canvas," she squealed desperately.

"I'm _going_ to poke a hole in you if you don't let me in," shouted the muffled cry of Drake.

The Fat Lady let out a shrill scream that could be heard loudly even through the walls of the common room. "Trespasser! Trespasser! Student breaking into Gryffindor!"

Everyone plugged their ears from the noise, and Albus bolted up to let him in. "It's okay! He's with us, I swear."

The Fat Lady pouted. "You ought to make nicer friends. I'm going to need to get touch ups now."

"Um, sorry." Albus felt bad.

"Oh, thank God," Drake exclaimed once he'd reached the other side of the Fat Lady. "I thought she was going to send some painted hounds after me."

"What were you doing?" Scorpius asked. "She hardly acted like that with me."

Drake shrugged. "I don't know. I complimented her ferret and she started yelling at me, so I started knocking so you'd let me in."

Scorpius lifted his arms in confusion. "What, were you trying to sweet talk her or something?"

"What ferret?" Rose asked. "She doesn't even have a ferret."

"What?" Drake asked. "Then what's that thing on her head?"

"Her hair," Rose exclaimed. "By God, the stupidity."

Albus glanced at Rose. "Well, I don't want to say it's stupid, but…it's hard to miss."

Drake scratched his chin. "That explains a lot. Hey, why's Heidi here?"

Albus coughed. "She's helping us study." He overemphasized that last word in hope that Drake would get the hint.

"Oh." His face fell. "So we're studying before we talk about this whole muggleborns against the wizarding world thing?"

"The what?" Heidi looked at Albus.

"Drake!" Rose shouted. "You idiot!" She stood up to punch him in the shoulder

"Hey, don't be mean to me," Drake said as he held up his hands defensively. "What'd I do?"

"We don't want to make a big deal out of this," Albus yelled. "What if we're wrong?"

Scorpius buried his face in his hands. "This is outrageous."

"What about muggleborns?" Heidi repeated. Her expression said that she didn't know whether to be concerned or disbelieving.

Drake looked around desperately, finally realizing what he'd said. "Oh." He started laughing loudly in a rather fake voice. "Just kidding. What a funny joke."

"You're hilarious," Rose spat through gritted teeth. "You know, I don't really feel like studying anymore. You can leave now, Heidi."

"What?" Heidi grabbed her nail care pouch. "A-are you sure?"

"Y-yeah," Scorpius added as he guided Heidi back out the door. "We're just going to chill together, or something."

"I can chill," Heidi said. "Hey, let me back in!"

Scorpius closed the common room door in Heidi's face, and turned back to the group. "I think it would be appropriate to point out the seriousness of the allegations we are making," he squeaked, his voice reaching a little higher than expected. "Right now what we're talking about sounds more like a conspiracy than anything."

"But it's not," Drake said. "Shaelyn said it herself. The muggleborns are pissed off about the way they've been treated. What's so hard to believe?"

"It's one thing to say that they're upset," Rose said. "It's another to say that they're actually doing something about it. Besides, saying that muggleborns as a whole are striking up against the purebloods means that they're organized. You'd think the Ministry Aurors would be able to detect an organized group of muggleborns."

"Not necessarily," Scorpius said. "It's like Shaelyn said. No one's about to accuse the victims of Voldemort's war of attacking or sabotaging people. If an Auror came across an organized group of muggleborns, they wouldn't even bat an eye. They're victims, and victims can't be the enemy."

Rose crossed her arms. "My mum's a muggleborn. She'd never hurt anyone."

"She is a war hero," Albus said. "She wouldn't be involved, but she's just one person. There are so many people harmed during that war. Who's to say one wouldn't want to strike back?"

"It's a little late to strike back, don't you think?" Rose replied.

Drake shrugged. "Crazy people don't make any sense. Don't question them." Albus didn't like it, but he agreed.

"Okay." Rose took a deep breath. "So what if this whole thing is true? Then what? The only ones in danger are the purebloods, and there aren't even that many of them. Families who supported Voldemort deserve it, anyways."

Scorpius's eye twitched and Albus smiled apologetically. "That's not the big picture," Albus said. "Like when we were in that church, there were plenty of non-purebloods." Albus looked at all three of them. "We should make a list of everything we know. Does anyone have a quill on hand?"

Rose held up an orange quill and a piece of parchment. "Unlike the rest of you, I was actually studying when Heidi was here." She moved to the table so she could write over a flat surface. "What do we know?"

Drake spoke up first. "We know that all that stalking was pointless." He cracked a smile and Albus couldn't help but let out a snort.

Rose scribbled a note on the parchment. "Alright, then. _Scorpius is creepy_. What else?"

Scorpius's eyes widened. "Did you actually write that?" He snatched the paper from Rose. He grinned. "Hey, you called me by my first name. It's like we're friends."

Rose scowled. "You're beginning to sound like Garry Jordan."

The blonde Slytherin mocked a disgusted sound. "Ugh, you're right. Never mind. Call me Malfoy for the rest of my life, if you have to." Rose grabbed the parchment back and scribbled over it, but instead of a slash through _Scorpius_, the name was replaced perfectly by _Malfoy_.

"The church is an obvious one," Albus said. "Dad said they found trace amounts of Draught of the Living Death in the goblet everyone drank from."

"And Slytherin Probation has got something to do with it," Drake piped up.

Rose scratched her head. "We don't really know that. Not for sure, anyways."

Albus gasped. "No we do! At least, we're more sure. Remember, we found that snake pin in the pastor's bag."

Rose frowned. "Maybe." She didn't seem convinced, especially after all that Shaelyn had said, but she wrote it down anyways.

"Obviously write down that muggleborn revenge thing, too," Scorpius added.

"We really don't know that much, do we?" Rose sighed. "I wish there was a way to alert the Aurors. Then they could actually research and do something about it."

"How are we supposed to do that?" Drake asked. "Even if we tell them, it's not like they'll believe us."

"My dad will think that it's ridiculous," Albus confirmed. "He's the one who fought to protect the world from prejudice against muggleborns. He'd never in a million years believe it was the muggleborns that were causing this."

Scorpius cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "Look, I know it's crazy, but I am absolutely certain that Shaelyn is right. Does anyone have a copy of the _Daily Prophet_?" Albus reached under the table and grabbed one of the old copies. "Shaelyn mentioned there'd be other incidents… Here, look!" He pointed at one of the smaller articles on the side, and Albus began to read.

_**Squashed Serpents Beware**_

_Bill Truman_

_Donald Carrow awoke Saturday morning to the blaring of his Sensory Charm. When he searched his home for what he believed to be a thief, he discovered his prized snake, a rare atheris hispida, dead on the ground of his living room. After alerting the WPOL (Wizarding Police of London), it was learned that nothing else in his home had been harmed. _

"_That snake was my best friend," Carrow sniffed. "After the war I spent a great deal of time in Africa. Lilith—that was her name—she followed me everywhere. She reminded me of my childhood, actually. She got me through a lot of tough times. I just don't understand who would do this. She's only an innocent snake."_

_Carrow isn't the only wizard suffering over a lost pet. Snakes all over London have been reported either missing or suddenly deceased. If you have any information about these strange incidents, please file a formal report to the WPOL. You could very well be saving an adder's life._

"That's bizarre," Albus said. "What good could possibly come from killing house pets?"

"A snake is the symbol of Slytherin House," Scorpius said. "It's the only explanation."

"We need a way for the Aurors to see the connection," Albus said. "If only they had a spokesman that just outright said they were organized."

Drake's eyes widened. "That's it!" he exclaimed. "Get them to admit what's going on."

Rose crossed her arms. "And how are we supposed to do that?"

"Oh, I don't know," Drake said. "I was hoping one of you would know how."

Scorpius leaned back in his seat and stretched his legs. "Shaelyn's out of the question. Not only is she not involved, but she'd also never help us expose them if they are organized."

"Then why not expose them ourselves?" The three of them all looked at Albus with curiosity. Albus was surprised at his own confidence with this idea. "We don't need to convince anyone to help us. We just need to look like a muggleborn and get caught."

"A Polyjuice Potion?" Rose gasped. "But it'd take ages to create one of those. My mum made one in her second year, but it took at least a month to mature."

Drake grinned. "Not if we steal one. Professor Kettleburn has them stocked up in his office. He's probably got a year's supply, having cooked them up for his NEWT class and never actually used it. He wouldn't miss a bottle if we took it."

Rose bit her lip. "I wouldn't want to get someone in trouble," she said.

"The person we turn into doesn't have to exist," Albus said quietly.

Scorpius raised an eyebrow. "Uh, yes they do. You have to pluck a real person's hair out to turn into them."

"What if the person we choose can transform their body at will?"

Rose stared at Albus. "You don't mean…?"

"Teddy," Albus said. "We need to transform into Teddy."

"Who's Teddy?" Drake asked.

"He's a close family friend," Rose explained. "He's a metamorphmagus."

Drake whistled in an amazed way. "So as long as one of us is Teddy we can be anyone we want to, even someone who isn't real."

Albus nodded. "We can't be traced. Teddy works in Hogsmeade, so as long as we can sneak out of Hogwarts we can go through with this. It's the perfect plan." Albus's stomach twisted with anxiety at the thought of stealing a professor's property. Gossiping about some mysterious threat all year had given him a sense of adventure and importance, but actually doing something about it made it so much more real. Even worse, he knew that he would be the one to do the thieving himself. Scorpius and Drake were too suspicious with their sketchy heritage, and Albus could easily imagine Rose confessing if she were caught. He gulped. He knew what he had to do. "I'll do it."

"You?" Drake asked. "I wouldn't peg you as a crook."

Albus cracked a smile. "I'm a Gryffindor aren't I? It's in my nature to brave this."

"You can't do it during class," Rose said. "Someone is bound to notice you, even if Kettleburn doesn't. They'll tell on you immediately."

"Just my luck that I have Mariah as a Potions partner. She missed class last Wednesday, remember?" Albus grinned. Taking classes at weird hours had gotten annoying after a while, but he was thankful now. "We take our makeup lessons in his office next to the storage room. I'll have to sneak in sometime during our lesson." Anxiety hit him again and his smile faltered. He wondered what his dad would think of him if he knew what Albus was about to do. Harry Potter had broken rules in his school days, but it had all been for good. Was Albus doing the right thing, too? He wasn't sure. He had a strong feeling that something was going to go very wrong.

"When's your makeup lesson?" Scorpius asked.

Albus coughed nervously. "It's in a few hours," he said. "Whenever the game ends."

"Oh man, that's perfect!" Drake exclaimed. "I can't believe this. All this planning and we're actually doing something about it. It almost makes all of those creep sessions worth it."

"I am _not_ creepy," Scorpius moaned. "I was simply gaining valuable information, which just so happened to involve following a person around. There's nothing more to it."

Drake exhaled through half closed lips. "Creep."

Rose looked up from her parchment. "Does this mean we can watch the rest of the game?" Her hazel eyes glimmered with hope. She wasn't very good at Quidditch and didn't like playing it, but she was the type of person who liked to support her family. Fred and James were in the game, and she wanted to see them win.

Drake grinned. "Yeah. Gryffindor is going to cream those Hufflepuffs."

"You guys go ahead," Albus said. "I'm going to prep for my Potions lesson."

"You sure?" Rose asked. Albus nodded and she seemed to understand. He wouldn't be able to concentrate on a Quidditch game when he was so nervous. The three friends left and Albus made his way up to his dormitory to lie on his bed.

A few hours passed and Albus checked his watch. It was late afternoon—almost dinner time. The game would be over soon. He took a deep breath and urged himself out of his bed. After ages of trying to stay calm, he'd only begun to feel worse. Albus pulled on his black cloak and grabbed his Potions book. It was time.

The trek down the staircases to the dungeons felt longer than ever. Every so often he saw a passerby going on about the game. The Hufflepuffs were the excited ones. _They must have won_, Albus thought with disappointment. Soon he passed the basement and reached one level lower until he was under the lake. Normally he felt cold down there, but he was too anxious to shiver. He reached Kettleburn's office and sat at the table. He waited, but no one had arrived yet. Albus's heart began to pound. _This is my chance!_ He crept towards the corner of the room and placed his hand on the knob. He closed his eyes and took another deep breath.

"Ah! Albus, you're already here." Albus froze. He felt the color drain from his face and he couldn't move. "I see you're trying to get a head start. Wonderful."

Albus's paralysis gave way and he turned around to face his professor. "Y-yes, Professor. I, uh, wanted to see what you created with your other students."

Kettleburn's smile grew almost as large as his thin face. He adjusted his glasses and then pushed the door behind Albus. "Come in, come in. You know, it's rare for a student of mine to show such interest in potion making."

Albus didn't smile, but he nodded. "My parents gave me a kit for Christmas, actually. It was pretty cool." The room's walls were covered in shelves from floor to ceiling, and was completely packed with colored bottles. Some were large with thick yellow goo inside, and some were smaller with translucent purples and shimmering blues. Albus saw every color of the rainbow in there, and was so amazed that he had almost forgotten his purpose. He scanned the ledges for the label he was looking for. "What's your favorite potion in here?" Albus asked, giving himself more time to search the room.

Kettleburn reached for a green potion on the floor. "I was a bit of a Transfiguration nerd when I was in Hogwarts, believe it or not."

Albus gave him a bewildered look. "But you teach Potions," he said.

Kettleburn chuckled. "Yes. Of course I am much more passionate about potion making, but nonetheless, this is my favorite potion. It is known by some as the Animagus Potion."

"An animagus?" The name sounded familiar, but Albus couldn't quite place it.

"An animagus is where you transfigure yourself into a particular animal. Every wizard has a binding link with an animal form. Many powerful wizards discover this link when they create a strong enough Patronous charm. If a wizard reaches a high enough level of Transfiguration, they may learn how to transfigure themselves into this animal," Kettleburn said. Albus had seen his dad perform the Patronous charm before. When Albus was little he and Lily would play with the silver stag and take turns riding it.

"So how does this potion come into play?" Albus asked.

"It won't transfigure the wizard, but it helps the wizard learn what it feels like to be an animal," Kettleburn answered. "It's very similar to the Awakening Potion, except it awakens another side to you."

"Another side?" Albus asked. "I don't understand."

Instead of explaining, Kettleburn smiled and patted Albus on the shoulder. "Becoming one with an animal is old magic," he responded. "It is not something easily understood. It cannot be found. It can only be felt."

Albus scanned the room one more time, but before he could spot it Kettleburn led him out and back into his office. Albus bit his lip in frustration. How was he going to steal the potion when he couldn't even find it? Suddenly there was a knock at the door and a girl with wind whipped black hair walked in. "Mariah!" Albus exclaimed. "What happened?"

"We won!" she squealed. "The Hufflepuff Quidditch team actually won! I absolutely cannot believe it."

"I didn't realize you went to the games," Albus said. He remembered when he'd first invited Mariah to hang out and she'd started crying from being in the air. He wondered what had changed.

Mariah nodded. "I've been going recently. I can't believe that was the last of the year, though. I wish there were more." She grinned and placed her Potions book on the table next to his.

"Excellent," Kettleburn said. "I'm glad you both enjoyed your days. I'm sure your classmates have told you about today's concoction?"

"The Giglius Gargle," Mariah announced enthusiastically. "It makes the drinker super happy and start laughing."

Their professor smiled. "Excellent. I see you did your homework ahead of time. Turn to page two hundred twenty nine." Albus flipped through the pages and found a moving picture of a laughing child. He looked back up at Kettleburn. "Albus, read aloud the potion's ingredients."

Albus cleared his throat. "One yellow newt, a butterfly's wing, two tablespoons of unicorn dung—we have to drink this?"

Kettleburn laughed. "It transforms when you wave your wand at the end, remember? It won't be foul then."

Albus and Mariah glanced at each other unsurely, then continued to read off the ingredients. Kettleburn waved them off to the storage room to grab what they needed. When Kettleburn didn't follow them inside, Albus's heart began pounding again. He stopped at the finished potions while Mariah moved past them for the ingredients. She glanced back at him. "What are you doing? I want to finish this potion quickly so I can celebrate with my Housemates."

"Sorry," Albus said slowly, eyes still on the potions. "I'm, uh, what are we getting again?"

Mariah sighed. "Just get the unicorn dung. I don't want to touch that." She went back to gather various herbs and animal parts. Albus frowned and crouched down to grab the packed bottle of pure stench. Next to it, his eyes lingered on a tiny bottle that read _Polyjuice Potion_. He reached for it, but then Mariah stopped him. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Um." Albus let go of the potion. "Grabbed the wrong one. Oops." He opened the bottle of unicorn dung and scooped out a small amount into a bag. "Okay, I'm ready."

Albus and Mariah worked quickly and quietly on the potion. Normally they were more talkative, but they both had reasons to get out of the lesson as fast as possible. When they set the potion on a flame, Kettleburn announced he was going to leave for an errand and would be back around when the potion had finished. Albus and Mariah slumped in their seats, glad they would have a break for a while. "So are you going to tell me what you were doing with that potion?" Mariah asked as soon as Kettleburn was gone.

Albus gulped. "I was just looking at it," he said innocently. "I got curious."

Mariah smirked. "Oh, come on, Albus. You were trying to steal it, weren't you?" Albus shifted his eyes. "You are so easy to read. What could you possibly need from one of Kettleburn's potions?" He chose not to speak. It would probably make things worse anyways.

A timer went off and Albus jumped to pull the cauldron from the flames. He stirred it clockwise once and then lifted his wand. After a quick swish, the potion sparkled yellow and Albus spooned some out. "Looks like it's ready," he said. He held the spoon to Mariah and she took a sip. Immediately a huge grin overtook her face and she started giggling. "Looks like it works!" Albus exclaimed happily. He took some too and joined her in the fun. An idea popped into his head. "Hey, Mariah. Want to help me steal a potion?"

Mariah snorted and covered her mouth. "What?"

"I said," Albus laughed, "want to help me steal a potion."

Mariah made a funny face and shrugged animatedly. "Let's do it." The pair giggled as they broke into the storage room and rummaged through the potions. Mariah knocked into a shelf and a green potion split onto the ground. "Oopsie daisy." Albus grabbed a random pink potion from the shelf and dropped it. Mariah gasped and snorted again. Soon they began throwing potions at each other, rainbow fumes puffing in their faces. Then a large blue potion plumed in Mariah's face and the laughing stopped. Her jaw dropped as if she was gasping for air, and she grabbed Albus for support.

"What are you doing?" Albus giggled, but Mariah didn't giggle back. A chill shook him and he snapped out of it. "Mariah? Are you okay?" She didn't respond. All she did was wave her arms as if she was trying to push air into her mouth. Albus looked around desperately at the labelled potions._ Cure for Boils, Aching Back, Fire Breath_, none of them were useful. Mariah was turning blue and he didn't know what to do. "Help! Professor!" He ran outside the storage room but Kettleburn had not yet returned. He rushed back inside to be with Mariah. "It's gonna be okay." Mariah responded with some kind of gooey vomit and Albus averted his eyes. He spotted the Polyjuice Potion. He didn't know what he was going to do, but he grabbed it anyways. He pulled out the cork and yanked a piece of his hair out.

The liquid bubbled as it sizzled the strand of his black hair away, and transformed into a glowing white. Albus grabbed Mariah's head and force fed the potion to her. Immediately her body changed forms, her lips becoming thinner and her hair becoming shorter. In the form of Albus, Mariah leaned upwards, finally able to gasp for air. "W-what did you do?" she asked as she stared at her hands, now larger than before.

"P-polyjuice potion," Albus stuttered.

"Merlin's beard!" Albus and his double looked up at Professor Kettleburn in the doorway, all three of them shocked. "What in God's name is going on?"

Albus's mouth went dry, and when he tried to speak only gibberish came out. Mariah looked very seriously at the professor. "I need to go to the Hospital Wing," she said, "before the Polyjuice Potion wears off."

As Kettleburn helped Mariah up, Albus reached behind and grabbed an unlabeled copy.

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**Don't forget to review, follow, and favorite! I get so excited when I check my email in the morning and find that I have a notification from a new fan of this story. Thank you!**


	18. The Enemy Exposed

**I can't believe that with this chapter, I am completing their first year at Hogwarts. Don't get me wrong, I have so much planned for all these characters, but I've never written this many words in a story before. Thanks for all the encouragement you've given me!**

**Disclaimer: The books came out first when I was a little kid, so it'd be an amazing accomplishment if I'd actually written them. (Spoiler alert: I didn't.)**

* * *

**When Everything Changes**

**Chapter 18**

**The Enemy Exposed**

The Great Hall was significantly barer than usual. Final exams were coming, and just about everyone was either in their common room or packed in the library to study. Scorpius and Drake were busy begging their professors for extra credit, but Albus and Rose had been lucky enough to fly by with passing marks all year. Of course they spent a lot of time studying, but not nearly as desperately as the other students. The two cousins grabbed an empty seat at the end of the Gryffindor table. Rose piled on eggs, while Albus merely took a small sausage.

"Nervous?" Albus and Rose jumped in their seats at the appearance of Nearly Headless Nick. Although they'd heard about the Hogwarts ghosts long before they were students, they still seemed creepy. Even friendly ghosts spooked her.

"That's one way to put it," Albus replied. Anyone could assume it was from exams, but Rose knew the truth. It was the last Sunday before school got out, and that meant it was their last chance to put their plan into action.

Sir Nicholas placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, though Albus shivered from the cold touch of a ghost. "In my day we had a Dueling class. I was so nervous during my final exam that I nearly got my head chopped off."

Rose shuddered. "Is that when…" She pointed at his head, the line of disconnected skin clearly visible on his neck.

The ghost chuckled. "Oh, Heaven's no. That was an entirely different event." Sir Nicholas drifted away towards the other students.

"Hey, don't worry about it," Rose said to Albus. "You don't have to do any of the work."

Albus took a tiny bite of his sausage and washed it down with some pumpkin juice. "Thanks, Rose. We still need to find a way out of the castle grounds, though. I haven't been able to find any secret passages."

"You know who would know of one," Rose said. She gestured in James's direction. Rose followed as Albus made his way to James's small group of friends. They were some of the few students brave enough to eat breakfast without a book on hand. A girl with blonde hair and bright pink lipstick was making googly eyes at James as he chuckled about something with Fred and Logan. He cocked his head when he noticed Albus and his friends glanced over. "Hey, Albus. What's up?"

"Where's the other James?" Rose asked suddenly. One of James's best friends was missing.

James stuck out his tongue in a defeated manner. "Sulking. He's so jealous."

"I think he has a crush on me," The girl Cindy added.

"He's such a prat," Logan spat. "McCarver keeps going on about how he should've been the one on the team. According to him, we would've won against Hufflepuff if he were playing."

Fred stuck a spoon in one of his soft boiled eggs. "He doesn't even show up to practice anymore. I don't see how he thinks he's so much better when he doesn't even try."

"Oh. That's unfortunate," Rose said.

Albus gulped. "Can I talk to you privately?"

James's expression grew serious and he nodded. "Yeah." He turned to his friends. "I'll see you guys later." Cindy kissed him goodbye and James followed Albus and Rose around the corner. "What? Did something happen?" Rose was surprised at him. James rarely cared to be nice, especially to Albus. She guessed Albus's nervousness was freaking him out.

"Can I ask you to help me with something that you won't tell anyone about?" Albus asked.

"Okay." James seemed unsure. "Depends."

Albus crossed his arms and tapped his foot anxiously. "Did you ever talk to Dad about the old days?" he asked.

James snorted. "Dad's lame stories? Yeah." Rose could hardly believe he thought his dad was lame. Harry was the coolest uncle she could have ever asked for.

"He talked about secret passages in Hogwarts that lead outside. Did you ever figure out where they are?" Albus held his breath. Rose's stomach fluttered.

James cracked a smile. "No way," he exclaimed. "There is no way that my little brother is sneaking out of Hogwarts. No way." He hugged Albus and gave him a hard noogie. "I can't believe it! You're finally growing up."

"It's my right of passage as a Potter," Albus said uncomfortably as he squirmed out of his brother's grip.

"Oh man, yes! We can sneak out together," James said. He brought a palm to his forehead. "I wish I had the Marauder's Map."

"The Marauder's Map?" Rose asked. It sounded familiar.

"Dad has this map that covers all of Hogwarts," Albus explained. "Uncle George gave it to him in my dad's third year, but my granddad made it way back when he was in school."

"There are all these secret passages on it, but a lot of them were blocked off before the Battle of Hogwarts," James said.

"Have you never actually snuck out before?" Albus gasped.

James pushed Albus defensively. "Hey, just because I've never snuck out before doesn't mean I can't do it. I can plan a breakout fine. When is it? Running from your Transfiguration exam Wednesday?"

Albus shook his head. "Today. I'd like to be in Hogsmeade by noon at the latest."

James stretched his hands. "We better get started."

Rose and Albus exchanged a glance as they followed their family member up the stairs to the Gryffindor common room. "That was easy," Rose whispered to Albus.

"We still need to get Drake and Scorpius in on this," he replied.

When they reached James's dorm room, Rose crinkled her nose. One of her cousin's greasy roommates was studying so hard that he'd clearly forgotten to shower. James didn't seem to react, though. Maybe it was just the concentrated stench of boy. James reached under his bed and pulled out what he could find. He piled a few bags in Albus's arms, and the three moved back down to the common room. James reached into one of the bags and pulled out a small golden candy box. "Ah, perfect." He stripped the wrapper off a green gumball and began chewing. He blew the bubble as large as a fist and then it popped. Instantly, the whole room covered their ears.

"Holy shit!" Nicole Biggins shouted. "What is that?" The walls rang unrelentlessly as if a baby was screaming.

"It sounds like one of Neville's mandrakes!" Eunice Joplin yelled.

All the Gryffindors crowded the door in escape. Soon enough the entire common room was clear. James rewrapped his candy and threw it in the trash. Immediately, the shrieking stopped. Rose and Albus stared at James with wide eyes. "That's one way to clear a room," Albus commented. He spread the bags out on the coffee table in front of the fireplace. James began emptying the bags, and all sorts of prank toys spilled out. Dung bombs, trick wands, and even Infinite Yo-Yos covered the table.

"Perfect." James reached into the pile and pulled out a large chalky black rock. "Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder. Fred's gift to me when I made the Quidditch team."

"Isn't that a little obvious?" Rose asked. She didn't want to sound ungrateful, but that idea sounded stupid.

James shrugged. "Hey, I'm going for showmanship here. Do you want to sneak out or not?"

Rose crossed her arms. "We could use a diversion."

James smirked. "Have any suckers to push the blame on?"

"Yes," Albus replied. "My Slytherin friends."

James grinned. "So you are a Gryffindor after all."

Rose and the Potters searched the corridors of Hogwarts for Scorpius and Drake. They stopped by a few classrooms and eventually found them in the History of Magic room. Professor Binns was snoring in the corner as the two Slytherin boys attempted to wake him up. Scorpius was shouting "Hello! Professor Binns!" as Drake threw erasers through his ghostly figure.

Rose sneered and put her hands on her hips. "I don't think it's possible to wake up a ghost," she said. "You'll have to find another way to pass."

"James is helping us sneak into Hogsmeade," Albus announced. Scorpius hesitated, but nodded. James wasn't exactly the nicest around enemy Houses.

They travelled across the castle quickly, each excited in their own way about the following events, although Rose expected Albus was more excited to get it over with. By the time they reached the Howarts boundaries Rose's heart was pounding. The five of them hid behind a pillar as James stuck his head up to scout the patrols. "Filch is on duty," he whispered. The old man sat stiffly on a folding chair as he stared grouchily at the gates. A dark tabby cat circled him. Rose poked her head out to see, and the cat stared at her with blood red eyes.

"We can't get past Filch with Mrs. Norris in the way," she said.

"I've got it covered." James reached into his robes and grabbed an Infinite Yo-Yo. He tied the string to his index finger and allowed the gray wheel to unravel. Mrs. Norris's eyes followed the yo-yo, and she pounced in an attempt to capture it. Barely missing, the yo-yo scooted under the gates and the cat prepared herself a second time. Mrs. Norris twisted her body to fit herself through the dividing gate and chased after it. The cat made an intimidating meow, and Filch stood up, having finally noticed her strange behavior.

"Mrs. Norris! Find a mouse?" he asked in his husky voice. Filch pulled out a large black key from his robes and opened the gate to retrieve his pet. Immediately, James sprung into action. He broke off a piece of the Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder and chucked it at Filch. The chalk rock exploded into absolute blackness and Filch wailed. As James darted past the black smoke, a hand grabbed his collar and he was pulled into the darkness. "Potter! I should have known!"

Rose, Albus, Scorpius, and Drake skooted through the open gate as the powder wore off and Albus mouthed a quick "Sorry" to his brother as they got away. They bolted down the cobbled stone path through the shops in Hogsmeade until they found the building with the laughing head. "Hopefully Teddy's on duty," Albus said. As they opened the front door, a bell rang to signal new customers. A shopkeeper wasn't monitoring the cash register, but Rose knew it had anti-theft hexes all around it. Scorpius and Drake hid behind a box of unopened merchandise while Rose and Albus searched for Teddy.

The cousins glided up the curved staircase and on the second floor found an exceptionally tall man with dark hair stocking the top shelves. Rose and Albus hid behind a cage of Pygmy Puffs as they peered at the oddly familiar wizard. A pink Pygmy Puff chirped and the man turned around.

"Teddy?" Albus gasped.

Instantly the man shrunk into a skinny teenager with dark blue hair. He grinned. "What are you doing here?" he asked happily. He held out his arms for a hug, but Rose and Albus tackled him to the ground instead. "Ah! You're too big to climb all over me, guys," Teddy laughed. Rose mischievously pulled at his hair and grabbed hold of a few strands. He pushed the first years off him and rubbed his head.

"We wanted to see you," Rose exclaimed.

"Of course as soon as I graduate first years are allowed in Hogsmeade," Teddy said. "Just my luck."

Rose could feel her body shudder in guilt. "Yeah," she squeaked. "Um."

Teddy crossed his arms. "Oh, I see. You're not allowed to be here." Rose and Albus nodded their heads nervously. "Your uncle is going to be here soon to monitor the shop, you know. I don't think he'd like you here alone." Rose stared at her feet. Her mum would be furious when she found out. Her dad...she couldn't tell. Either he'd be just as furious and protective over his little girl, or he'd be impressed that she'd managed such an escape. It was generally hard to tell which version she'd get.

"That's why you won't tell him," Albus said with an anxious smile. "We'll just make our way back to Hogwarts."

Teddy grinned. "You give up too fast, Albus! I broke a few rules in my day. Give me a half an hour to finish my shift and I can give you the Hogsmeade grand tour." The bell at the front of the store rang. "A customer! I better go get that."

Teddy hurried down the steps and the cousins followed. They found the shelf Scorpius and Drake were hiding behind and Rose held out the strand of blue hair. "Guess what I found," she whispered cheerily, proud of her accomplishment. Albus pulled out the small bottle of Polyjuice Potion and Rose pushed the hair in to watch it sizzle. The potion glowed neon blue, then sputtered purple and red. As Albus shook the bottle to stir it, a blend of yellow and green splashed around the center. "It's a rainbow." Rose didn't try to mask her amazement. "I wish I was a metamorphmagus."

"So who wants to do the honors of alerting the wizarding world about the muggleborn threat?" Scorpius asked.

"I'll do it." Drake was staring at that potion with awe. Its aura reflected in his eyes. Albus handed him the potion and he chugged it. After a moment he dropped the vial, and thankfully Scorpius managed to catch it before glass shattered all over the ground. Drake held a twisted expression and his face scrunched like he'd tasted something sour. "Oh man, I did not expect that to burn my throat as much as it did," he croaked. He stuck out his tongue in disgust, but his form didn't change.

"Are you sure you nicked the right potion?" Rose asked. "I thought the change is immediate."

Albus shook his head. "It should be. Drake, think about the way Scorpius looks."

Drake shrugged. "Okay." He squinted his eyes in Scorpius's direction and concentrated hard. A small amount of blonde hair sputtered up out of his scalp, but it wasn't much. When Drake looked back at Albus his eyes were blue instead, but that was the only change.

Albus bit his lip. "Now do Rose." Drake's hair grew a little in length. Freckles dotted his nose and his lips stretched slightly. "Now do me." The Slytherin boy became a little shorter and his eyes turned almond shaped. "Is he different enough looking?" Albus asked with hesitation.

"I guess…" Scorpius said. "He looks super weird. Not very intimidating."

Rose buried her face in her hands. "Oh my God, what are we getting ourselves into?" she wailed. "This is going to be so bad."

"No, no, I can pull this off," Drake said. He cleared his throat and deepened his voice. "Attention, people of Hogsmeade. I am a muggleborn and I demand equality. The only way to achieve this equality is to punish all purebloods and erase the Slytherins from Hogwarts!"

Rose frowned. "What are you doing with your voice? It sounds so weird."

"Well, it can't sound like an eleven year old boy is threatening wizardkind. That would be silly."

She crossed her arms. "You sound like a man baby when you use that voice. Stop it."

Drake frowned. "Well it's too late to switch now. I drank all the potion, so you're going to have to deal with it." He crossed his arms triumphantly. Everyone began staring at him. "What?"

"Your ears are getting bigger," Scorpius said.

"What?" Drake put a hand to his ears, which were growing larger by the second. "Oh my God, they're huge!"

"Stop doing that," Rose exclaimed.

"I can't!"

"You're such an idiot," Rose shouted quietly. "We need to get out of here. Give me your outer cloak."

"What?" Scorpius blushed and gripped his cloak tightly.

"You're wearing your school sweater under that, aren't you?" Rose asked.

"Yes, well, it's hot so I just have my boxers underneath…" Scorpius trailed off. He pouted, but pulled his black cloak off anyways. Rose smirked at his snake themed undergarments, but chose not to comment.

She put the cloak over her own backwards and flipped the hood out. "_Incendio._" A flame formed and burned a hole for her eyes. She gently blew out the flame and flipped the hood back over her face. The hood from her own cloak covered her red hair. She tied the tops together so it wouldn't flop over and expose her. "I have to do everything myself, don't I?" she grumbled. "I didn't even want to be a part of this." She took Drake by the sleeve and dragged him out the door. Albus and Scorpius tip-toed after them to see what Rose was up to.

Rose grasped Drake by the shoulders and pushed him into the gravel. "Take that you Slytherin scum," she spat venomously. "Beg for help, for all I care. You won't get it. You don't deserve it." A few wizards farther away turned their heads, but there wasn't a big enough commotion yet to be too noticeable. Rose waved her wand a shot green sparks in the air around her, as if she was creating some kind of highly complex spell. "Help me out a little here," she whispered. "Act like you're in pain."

"Ahhh, no!" Drake wailed. "Get away from me!"

"You are such a fake actor!" Rose whispered. She kicked him in the stomach and Drake winced in pain.

"Ow! God, what are you doing?" he wailed. "That hurt."

"Good," Rose whispered back. "That's how you should be feeling." She returned to her loud evil voice. "All you purebloods do is discriminate against us muggleborns. We are uprising. We are here to take back our freedom." She shot red sparks into the air this time. Albus seemed to have caught on, because he chucked a block of Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder behind her. Although it didn't cover her, the blackness swirled around her, creating an ominous mask for her body.

"Y-you muggleborns aren't wizards," Drake exclaimed. "You're m-m-mudbloods!" He struggled with the curse word. He wasn't used to speaking it on a daily basis. "Dirty bloods! Muggles with stolen magic."

"How dare you?" Rose screamed furiously. "You are the dirty blood, you purebloods who think you're so superior. Every last one of you deserves to die."

"Don't kill me, please," Drake begged. "What do you want from me? I'll do anything."

Rose kicked him again. "Slytherin is the true poison of this world. I will not rest until your supposedly honored Hogwarts House is extinguished." More members of the community had spotted them at that point. A determined middle aged woman was stomping towards them, anger written in her eyes. Rose desperately shot red and green sparks everywhere and made one final proclamation. "The noble muggleborns are rising up against the prejudiced. This will not be our last meeting. Farewell." Albus chucked another clump of powder at Rose and she disappeared into it. Drake got up and limped into the darkness. By the time the smoke had thinned away, Rose and Drake were gone.

"I don't curse much," Albus whispered, "but that was bloody brilliant."

"Brilliant is one way of putting it," Scorpius commented. "Scary is another. It's almost like you meant the things you said."

"Yeah," Rose coughed. "Almost."

"You still look like a weirdo," Scorpius said to Drake.

Drake shrugged. "Hopefully no one noticed."

They slipped back into Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, careful not to trigger the bell. Drake concentrated hard to resume his original form. Rose returned Scorpius's robes, though he was disappointed at the new scorch mark. Through the glass window they saw George Weasley come running in. "That was the longest morning shift. I liked Hogsmeade a lot more when I was in Hogwarts," Teddy's voice said.

"Did you see what just happened?" George asked, as if he hadn't heard Teddy.

"No, what happened?" Teddy's voice suddenly became serious. Rose glanced at the others excitedly. Their plan must have worked.

"A war victim was out there exacting her revenge on a poor Slytherin bloke," George said. "The Aurors will be swarming the village any minute now."

Teddy gasped. "Crap, I'll be stuck here for hours. I'd better go before they block everything off again." After a few seconds he found the first years hidden behind the merchandise. "Did you hear that?" Rose nodded. "If you don't want Hogwarts to find out, you've got to move now."

Teddy led them through the back door of the store and through the outskirts of town. He gestured for them to hurry. When they reached the Hogwarts gates, Rose's heart plummeted. Filch was still standing there, watching the entrance hungrily as if he was waiting for them. "We're doomed. How are we going to get past him?" Rose exclaimed.

"Easily." Suddenly Teddy's head began shrinking very small, and stretching forward. Whiskers shot from his cheeks and a hairless tail sprung from his trousers. Soon he was a tiny gray mouse.

"Wicked." Drake was impressed. Rose had never realized the full extent of Teddy's metamorphmagus abilities. He'd change his hair color regularly and occasionally make funny faces at family gatherings, but apparently he could transfigure himself much more than that. As a mouse, Teddy crawled through the gate and scampered off, tempting Mrs. Norris to trail behind him. Filch lumbered after his cat. After the crotchety old man was out of sight, the four students jumped through the gate. Luckily enough, it was still unlocked from when they'd first snuck out.

"You four. What are you doing, lurking about the gates?" They all froze. A chill travelled down Rose's spine. Teddy crawled back onto the black gate and squeaked.

"Just passing by," Scorpius said innocently. "Nice day out."

The old man approached Scorpius and stuck his hooked nose in his face. "I'm watching you, Malfoy." His eyes lingered on the rest of them. "Let this be a warning to all of you. Next time I find you loitering around my gates, I'll have you sent hanging upside down in the Forbidden Forest. Do I make myself clear?"

The four nodded. "Crystal," Scorpius said. They ran all the way back to Hogwarts, panting heavily at their near capture.

When they got to the castle doors, Albus burst out laughing. Scorpius looked at him funny. "I have never done anything so rebellious in my entire life," Albus explained. Rose snorted. She fell into a pit of giggles, and soon Scorpius and Drake joined her and Albus.

"I can't believe we actually did that," Drake said. "And to think I was worried that school would be too boring."

"Oh man," Scorpius said. "One week left. I'm going to miss this."

That week went by quicker than usual. Rose had finally gotten the hang of her classes, and exams were easier than expected. She received excited letters in the mail from her mum about her return home. Students all around Hogwarts had begun hugging their newfound friends goodbye and exchanging addresses for summer communications. Rose felt very lucky. Her best friend was her cousin, and she got to see him all summer long.

On the train home, she chose to sit with Albus and his friends. Slytherins were annoying, but it felt as if her anger with them had lessened after kicking Drake so many times. She couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor guy. According to her brother Hugo, her kicks really hurt.

James was still pouting about how they had let him get caught by Filch. Whenever Rose or Albus said hello to him in the halls, he simply stuck his nose in the air and slung his arm around his girlfriend. Funnily enough, when Rose's Aunt Ginny asked James about this girlfriend she'd been hearing so much about, he blushed furiously and denied everything.

Scorpius and Drake were not able to leave the train at the same time as Rose and Albus because of their parents, but from afar they gave respectful nods to their Gryffindor friends. "Are those boys looking at you?" Ron asked his daughter after greeting her with a big hug. "No boys are allowed to look at my daughter."

"Of course not!" Rose blushed. She stopped herself from smiling back at them. That would be too obvious. She ran back to Albus to give him one last hug goodbye.

"Hogwarts went by way faster than I expected," he said as he smiled fondly. "I can't believe I was so scared."

"I know," Rose said as she grinned. "I can't wait until next year."

* * *

**I'm about to go back to school, so it might be a little while before I start on their second year. I'm also considering writing a Pokemon Nuzlocke fanfiction, so I'd want to work on that before I went back into this again.  
Please don't forget to favorite, follow, and review! When I do start this back up again I wouldn't want any of my readers missing out on the next chapter. Thanks :)**


	19. The Auror Trials

**Since it's been so long since my last update, I wanted to treat you all to a little insight on Teddy's summer. I promise I haven't forgotten about this story. I still do plan on returning to it. I'm just a little caught up with school...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

**When Everything Changes**

**Chapter 19**

**The Auror Trials**

Teddy Lupin rubbed his thumb against the handle of his wand and gripped it tightly. Cypress with a string of unicorn hair contained within…it was his father's once. Now it belonged to him. Whenever he was nervous he pulled out his wand. His friends thought it was a defensive measure, but that was never the case. It comforted him.

A gleam of light from the window panned across his face, and he held his wand up to the sun. That was another thing he loved about his wand. In the dark it was almost black, but in the light it was a creamy brown. Teddy liked to think his wand was happier during the day.

A loud hoot broke Teddy's trance. His scops owl Pho was pecking frantically against his perch. Another much larger owl had appeared in the window, and Pho's tiny stature was encompassed by its shadow. "It's all right, Pho," Teddy said as he lifted himself from his bed. "It's just a Ministry bird." He lifted the window open and the black owl flew in. Teddy found some food pellets for the owl to snack on and then pulled the tied letter off the bird's foot. Teddy took a deep breath. "This is it, Pho."

Weeks before, Teddy had started the Auror trials. Every year, wizards from all over the United Kingdom travelled to London for their shot at joining the elite. Last year it hadn't exactly worked in Teddy's favor, but he felt pretty good about this time.

He sat in the waiting room of the Auror Department that first day, tapping his finger against his wand as usual. Sometimes he worried the pressure would dent the handle, but it never did.

"Nervous?" A girl with bright eyes and fluffy brown hair joined Teddy at the bench.

"No, I, um," Teddy tucked his wand back in his robes. "I'm fine."

"It's funny," the girl said. "These trials are child's play. No matter what they throw at us, we won't be in any real danger. But it's still scary."

Teddy laughed. "Yet we want to be Aurors."

The girl smiled. "I'm Emmy, by the way. It's nice to meet you."

"Teddy," he replied. "I thought I knew everyone at Hogwarts."

Emmy shrugged. "I went to Apollo's School for the Magically Gifted, actually."

Teddy snorted. "Oh, so you're 'magically gifted' then? I apologize, I didn't realize I was sitting on a bench with a witch who's got the stature of the queen."

"Oh, come off it!" Emmy giggled. "It really does sound pretentious when I say it out loud. That's what I get for turning down Hogwarts."

"Edward Tonks." The door was creaked open by a small creature with a surprisingly deep voice. Teddy was confused at first until he realized it was actually a house elf in deep purple dress robes.

Teddy raised a hand. "Right here, uh, sir," he said.

"Come with me." Teddy followed the house elf, amazed at its grace. Although he did not bear a witches hat nor a wand, the elf resembled very closely a tiny respectable wizard. He was led into a room with bookcases lining the walls. A dark patterned carpet marked the path across the extended room. When they finally reached the end, the house elf hopped on the desk and dipped a quill in some ink. "Sit." Teddy took the seat across from the desk. "Now tell me. What makes you qualified to be an Auror?"

"I was top of my class in Defense Against the Dark Arts in Hogwarts," Teddy began. "Last year I was turned down for Auror training, but I've been keeping up with my studies since. I do practice dueling with my friends quite often."

The elf's eyes slid upwards from his paper. "A little dueling club hardly counts as a qualification. If you were turned down last year, I do believe there was a reason."

Teddy bit back a snappy response. He suddenly had an immense dislike for the house elf. Why was it even judging him anyways? It was a house elf, it should be polishing the shoes of his real interviewer. "I do not believe in giving up on my dream."

"Your dream of dying, Mr. Lupin?" the house elf responded. "Because that's what happens to unqualified Aurors. That's what happens to most qualified Aurors even. Are you sure you're ready?"

"I know exactly what it means to be an Auror," Teddy replied. "My mother died in battle as an Auror, actually, and my Godfather is Harry Potter."

"Oh!" the house elf jumped in his seat. "I didn't realize I was meant to give you special treatment. Right this way into the ranks of the Auror Department. At that, how about we give you the job of the minister? How fitting for the Godson of Harry Potter."

Teddy clenched his fist. "Can we please get back to the interview?" he said in the most pleasant voice possible.

The house elf rolled his eyes. "Of course, O Noble One."

Teddy gritted his teeth. As the elf scribbled notes on his paper Teddy took a deep breath. He needed to be calm if he was going to convince the elf he was worthy. The elf looked up at him and moved its mouth, but Teddy didn't hear it at first. He shook his head to regain focus. What was this feeling? He wasn't tired exactly. The elf continued to talk, possibly gloating about its ranking over him, but Teddy tuned it out. A feeling of peace began to float around Teddy. If he didn't become an Auror, it really wasn't a big deal. Teddy sighed.

_No, snap out of it!_ Teddy dug his nails into his fist. He needed to pay attention.

"Mr. Lupin?"

"Yes?" He was suddenly jolted back to reality. Without realizing it, he had stood up. Inside his robes, his hand was gripped tightly around his cypress wand.

"Giving up so soon?" the elf asked. Teddy was halfway across the room to the door.

The warm feeling began to return, but Teddy shook it off. Something wasn't right. He stared directly into the house elf's eyes and focused all of his senses towards it. "You're not a house elf," he said suddenly.

The elf crossed his arms and his bat-like ears drooped in disappointment. "And what makes you say that? My respectful position amongst the Ministry? I will have you know that as of 2015 freed house elves became eligible for jobs of any kind."

"You don't smell like a house elf," Teddy responded. It was true. A house elf was a musty creature. The scent reminded him of tree roots.

The elf scowled. "I do wash myself quite regularly, unlike most of my brethren."

Teddy pointed his wand directly at the elf. He hoped he wasn't wrong. "_Manifizio!_" A jet of yellow light shot from his wand and was absorbed by the house elf. The creature began to grow, and its purple robes reshaped around a rather tall man. He had an aged face and a few gray hairs, but the man smiled.

"I'm impressed," he said. "You are the first to counteract both the Imperius Curse and my disguise."

"I thought you smelled funny," Teddy exhaled.

The wizard laughed. "A token of your father's, I presume?"

Teddy nodded. "It's surprisingly useful being half Werewolf. I thought wizards couldn't transfigure that well into magical creatures though, even with a Polyjuice Potion."

"A regular wizard, perhaps." The man made his way back to his seat. "The training of an Auror far exceeds NEWT level when it comes to a disguise. You, however, don't need much help with that, I presume."

Instead of responding, Teddy shrunk into an elf identical to the wizard's disguise. "That comes easily."

The wizard scribbled a few notes. "Thank you, Edward. You are dismissed."

Several trials later, Teddy found himself in a dueling competition between the other entrants. They were quite literally battling for spots in the three year Auror training program. Each potential Auror was matched with another. Teddy did well. He made sure to mix defensive with offensive spells, and even threw in a few nonverbal spells to impress his judges. After he won the duel, he stayed to watch Emmy's battle.

Emmy was up against John Castellon, a wizard who appeared to be three times her size in muscle. Castellon was very aggressive with his spells. He had a special technique of charging at her to distract her while he simultaneously used his wand to hurl rocks in her direction. It was quite brutal. Emmy was very graceful, though. She seemed to be a dancer, as she dodged each boulder with such finesse. Emmy circled her wand around and whipped fire into the air. The blast grew as it shot in Castellon's direction, but at the last second he cast a wall of water and interrupted the blow. "You really aren't going to make this easy for me, are you?"

Castellon smirked. "_Petrificus Totalus!_" A white mist enveloped Emmy's body and she collapsed, completely limp. Teddy was amazed. It was the first head on blow of the entire duel. He thought the duel would be over right then and there, but then he noticed something. Emmy actually appeared to be moving. It was just slightly, but nonetheless impressive for a full body bind curse. Only her eyes should have been able to move. "Oh, come on, Bloomingdale," Castellon said. "You know it's over."

Then Emmy did the most surprising thing of all. She began to sing. Instantly, Castellon's eyes glazed over. Teddy felt confused again, similar to the effect of the Imperious Curse, but not quite. He wasn't being controlled, he was simply mystified. Emmy's face was seemingly replaced with Victoire's, and Teddy smiled. It was nice to see his girlfriend.

"S-Stacy?" Castellon stuttered. He took a step back and dropped his wand. Emmy continued to sing in a strange foreign language and seemed to regain movement of her hand. Teddy realized that instead of Victoire, Castellon must be seeing a loved one of his own. "Stacy, I…" Castellon dropped to the ground to help Emmy. "I'm so sorry, are you alright?" He lifted Emmy and helped her stand.

Emmy shakily pointed her wand in Castellon's face. "_Flipendo._" The wizard flew back against the wall and was knocked unconscious. Emmy finished her song, and the mirage of Victoire disappeared.

Emmy returned to her seat next to Teddy where they had been watching the competition together. "I didn't know you were a Siren," he said, amazed.

The girl shrugged. "Only half. I tend not to focus on that part unless I have to."

"No, I like it," Teddy assured her. "I'm half Werewolf and my girlfriend's one eighth Veela. Why not embrace the perks?"

A tiny smile played across Emmy's lips. "I never thought of it that way."

More trials passed, and Teddy accomplished each one. He battled a Bogart and showed of his Patronus against a group of Dementors. After proving he could cook up an extremely useful Blood Replenishing Potion, all there was to do was take the written exam.

Teddy had spent the entire year prepping for this exam. He had taken only a part time job at Weasleys' Wizard Wheazes so he could focus on becoming an Auror. When the time came, he answered each question with ease and confidence.

Now, staring at this letter from the Ministry was somehow scarier than any of those trials. Pho hooted at him. "I know," Teddy replied. He cracked open the envelope and read the message. His face fell.

Teddy walked to the kitchen where the fireplace stood. He grabbed a handful of Floo Powder and stood in the fireplace. "Office of the Head Auror," he growled. He threw the powder to the ground and a burst of green flame cast itself around him. He stepped forward and suddenly he was in his Godfather's office. Normally non-Ministry members couldn't access the building, but Harry had made an exception for his family.

Harry was at his desk with a massive amount of paperwork piled up. "What the hell, Harry?"

He looked up with a grim expression. "Teddy—" he began.

"I trained all my life for this, Harry. I've been dreaming of this moment since I found out what an Auror was. I admit, maybe last year wasn't my best, but this year I more than excelled in each task I was given. What the bloody hell happened?" Teddy exclaimed. His hair began to spike upwards and bleed black.

Harry took a deep breath. "You failed. I'm sorry."

"I failed?" Teddy huffed. "How?"

"You're written exam was ranked Troll," Harry explained. "You know I can't show favoritism towards you just because you're my Godson."

"I was ranked Troll?" Teddy couldn't believe this. "I want to see my exam."

Harry opened a filing cabinet at the bottom of his desk and pulled out a stack of exams. After flipping through a few, he found one with Teddy's name. Teddy took it from his Godfather's hands. He flipped through the pages, unable to believe what he saw. "This isn't my test."

"It has your name on it," Harry replied.

"No, I swear this isn't my test," Teddy said.

Harry crossed his arms. "We perform dozens of spells to ensure we protect the exams. There are Anti-Cheating Spells, Anti-Correction Spells, Anti-Theft Spells…It is yours."

Teddy slammed the test back on Harry's desk. "If that's true, then it was you, wasn't it?"

"Excuse me?"

"Admit it. You don't want me to be an Auror!" Teddy exclaimed. It was all making sense now. Harry had always hesitated at the topic of his parents' deaths. He didn't think Teddy would be strong enough to succeed as an Auror, either.

"Teddy, calm down," Harry said. "You know that isn't true."

"Oh, give up, Harry! I know you switched my test!" Teddy's teeth sharpened to fangs and he gripped his wand under his robes. "If you won't admit it, I'm leaving."

"Teddy!" It was no use. Teddy had Disapparated.

Teddy found himself in a small brick apartment complex. He knocked on door 3C and made sure to breathe in and out to calm himself. A beautiful girl with silver in her hair answered the door. "Victoire…"

"Shall I break out the champagne?" she asked with a sweet smile. She saw his expression and concern grew in her eyes. "Teddy…" He collapsed into her embrace, and she stroked his head. "I'm so sorry."

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**Feel free to review! Thanks for your support :)**


	20. Meetings in Malfoy Manor

**It's been a while! I have finals next week so I've been working on this chapter pretty slowly. I'm excited because now you'll get to meet more of Scorpius's family! Oh, and Cham is pronounced with a hard C, so it's like Cam.**

**Disclaimer: Inspired from the original books, of course.**

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**When Everything Changes**

**Chapter 20**

**Meetings in Malfoy Manor**

Malfoy Manor had always disturbed Scorpius. Yes, he did live there and he had all his life, but there was something eerie about it. He often felt that the portraits on the walls weren't telling him something. His painted ancestors were often quite stoic and not the type for conversation. Scorpius trailed through the drawing room and brushed a hand against the intricate carvings on the edge of the table. He knew his parents had a meeting soon. He always asked to join in, but they wouldn't allow it. He and Chamaeleon often were stuck with entertaining themselves.

"Father wants us out." Scorpius looked up to see his younger brother in the purple doorway. He seemed annoyed.

"I'd like to know what this was for once," Scorpius responded.

They made their way to the gardens and sat on the ledge of a marble snake fountain. As they relaxed, they heard a faint popping noise, and they looked up to see Drake and his parents appear dressed in magnificent green robes. "Drake!" Scorpius hugged his friend, and Cham waved hello.

"The boy insisted on coming along," Cadmus announced. "Entertain him." He pushed Drake aside while he and Pansy approached the main entrance. After announcing the password, they were allowed inside.

Drake made a face at Scorpius. "With all their visits, you'd think just once they'd be happy to bring me along."

"I don't think our parents like each other very much," Scorpius replied.

The boy crossed his arms. "Then how come they always visit?"

Cham rolled his eyes. "It's their secret society. The other pureblooded families have been visiting for months."

Drake frowned. "We're purebloods, too! Why can't we come?"

"Father says I'm not old enough," Cham said. "He says I needn't worry about things that won't affect me yet."

"Affect you _yet_?" Drake asked.

Cham shrugged. "I don't know. I didn't bother asking."

Drake stretched his mouth into a sly grin. "Why don't we find out?"

The three boys scurried to the windows of the manor and took a peek inside. The large portrait of Octavion Malfoy across the hall turned towards the window and twisted his face into a snarl. The boys yelped and jumped away. "I hate him," Cham complained. "He's scary."

"Just think," Drake breathed. "One day it'll be your portrait scaring young children."

The young boy shifted his large blue eyes uneasily. "Just Scorp's actually. He's the heir to the manor."

Scorpius sighed and put a hand on his brother's head. "Remember that you're the lucky one who doesn't have to live in this house when you're older." He ruffled Cham's fluffy brown hair, and his brother gave a soft smile.

"Come on, there has to be another way in," Drake said. "Do your parents put up protection spells during these meetings?"

Scorpius shook his head. "None more than usual. I don't think Mother and Father ever thought their spells through to include us in them. We just can't go through the front door because the protection spell alerts my father to who is entering."

"Oh." Drake frowned. He was clearly out of ideas.

Cham looked bored. "So do you just want to play Quidditch?" he asked. "I think that would be a lot more fun."

"Quidditch!" Scorpius exclaimed. "Of course!" Scorpius, Drake, and Cham made their way to the outhouse and pulled from their collection of fancy brooms. Brooms belonging to Malfoys of generations past graced the walls of the house, some of them specially decorated for Slytherin victories. Scorpius grabbed three of the many Nimbus 2001 broomsticks for them to use. Once they had mounted their brooms, Scorpius lifted into the air and looked back at his brother and friend. "Follow me!"

They rode their brooms to the third floor, and peeked in a smaller window. No portraits were in immediate sight, so Scorpius knew it was a good entrance. He shuffled through his robes and pulled out his elm wand. "_Alohamora_!" The lock on the window unhinged, and Scorpius was able to push it open. The three wizards came tumbling in, and Scorpius shut the window behind them.

Cham dropped his broom by the window. "The drawing room is this way," he said. They found their way down to the second floor hallway, and when they reached the door to the drawing room they heard muffled voices. Scorpius cupped his hands and listened against the door. He wished he had an Extendable Ear on him, but this would have to do.

"Ah, so young Chamaeleon will be starting at Hogwarts this year," said Cadmus. "What an interesting year to begin."

"What are they saying?" Cham whined. Scorpius shushed him so he could continue listening.

"Slytherin will be on top again soon." Scorpius's eyes widened. That was his grandfather's voice! "The world will realize their mistake in accepting Mudbloods as equals." There was a banging noise from the table.

"Father." Draco's voice was very cool. "Do not assume this is a Death Eater resurrection."

"You have grown soft, Draco," Lucius snarled. "These United members are specifically targeting us purebloods and Slytherins. Clearly we were right in the old days to consider them as unworthy."

"I have to say I agree with Lucius," Pansy said in an eerily calm voice. "Why not kill them all? If it weren't for Harry Potter it would have worked the first time." Scorpius shivered. That was Albus's dad she was talking about!

"This is why I don't like bringing you," Cadmus muttered to his wife.

"You know that's not why," Pansy snapped.

There was another bang on the table, and Scorpius heard a chair scrape against the floor. "That's enough!" This time it was Astoria, Scorpius's mother who spoke. "We are not Death Eaters. We are not murderers. We are a civilized people who has a desire to protect our rights as wizards."

Draco cleared his throat. "Let's get to business then, shall we?"

After a moment's pause, Scorpius's Uncle Graham spoke. "My wife and I met with an old friend the other day, Beth Fawley. Since the attack in Hogsmeade she's received a lot more hate mail as Head of House. Apparently a violent muggleborn's actions gave others courage to voice their continued hate of Slytherin. Even when a muggleborn is the culprit, the purebloods are blamed."

"They will still be continuing Slytherin, of course?" Cadmus inquired. "The news concerns me. I read an article that proclaimed all Slytherin children as future terrorists. The woman writing it alluded to the Dark Lord. She said so many deaths could have been prevented if he had been killed immediately after sorting."

"So what is she saying?" Graham asked. "That all Slytherin children should be murdered just in case?"

"That's appalling," Astoria gasped.

"Thankfully these are only extremists who wish this, but these people do exist nonetheless," Cadmus said. "I worry for my son associating with the impure. I don't want him to cross paths with someone like this journalist."

"Of course," Graham replied. "But a little hate never stopped Slytherin pride."

Scorpius moved away from the door. He felt guilty knowing that his little stunt in Hogsmeade had the opposite desired effect than intended. He was hoping that at least the Ministry would take the Wizards United group more seriously. He wanted to ask Albus what his dad thought about all this, but he hadn't been able to talk to him since school ended. He couldn't even owl in case his parents saw who the return mail was from.

"What is it?" Drake asked eagerly. Scorpius shushed him and they moved further away from the door.

"It's all this hate about purebloods," Scorpius said.

The door suddenly swung open, and Lucius Malfoy stood in the archway. "It appears we have some visitors," he growled. Scorpius looked down fearfully.

Draco sighed. "Let them in."

The three boys wandered into the large purple room and took seats at the edge of the long table. Several witches and wizards clumped together at the table, most of which Scorpius knew as family or through friends.

Lucius loomed over the boys with a haunting look in his eyes. "You were so eager to join us," he whispered gracefully. "You must have something to add." Scorpius stared blankly at the intimidating adults in the room. After a beat, Lucius took a deep breath. "That's what I thought." He turned back to Draco. "This boy has nothing to add to our cause because his mind has been polluted."

Draco coughed. "Father." Lucius ignored him.

"His mind has been polluted by the Hogwarts of today and by the students that grace its halls." He stared coldly into Scorpius's eyes. "Is it not true that you have been consorting with Potters and Weasleys alike?" Scorpius couldn't bring himself to move. "Two unworthy and tainted families. This is where the flame that burns against us begins."

"Father," Draco said again. "Leave my son out of this. He is only a boy."

"Children are moldable," Cadmus spoke up. "Wizards United is molding him."

"N-no one is molding me," Scorpius said quietly. "I am my own person." As brave as his words were, he couldn't bring himself to look at the wizards in front of him.

"Scorpius has promised that he left those friends behind," Draco said. "They are not an issue."

A large man with pudgy fingers pointed at Cham. "Young Cameron, is it?"

"Chamaeleon," Cham muttered.

"Chamaeleon," Gregory Goyle corrected himself with an extra emphasis on the last two syllables. "We will be happy to hear about your adventures at Hogwarts. I trust it is Slytherin you are after when the sorting comes." Cham nodded. Gregory turned to the other adults. "No new Potter boys this year, I trust." A few wizards chuckled, but the Malfoys remained unfazed.

Scorpius looked up at his mother, who returned a sympathetic expression. "If I may say something," Astoria said. "It is not the big names of Potter and Weasley who are to be feared when it comes to purebloods. It is the United movement. I am sure that a government official such as Harry Potter would be against violence of any kind."

"Albus is a good person," Scorpius added.

Gregory folded his hands into each other. "Albus?"

"A-Albus Potter," Scorpius stammered. Gregory rolled his eyes, and Scorpius could tell he wasn't gaining any favor with the other adults. "The problem really lies with the other students." The adults refocused their attention on Scorpius. "I don't know. Maybe people are just easily offended or something, but I've met muggleborns who feel out of place when it comes to purebloods. There are also halfbloods who feel like they have to hate on purebloods in order to gain favor with the muggleborns," he said, thinking of Rose. "To be honest, I don't think purebloods are any better than halfbloods or muggleborns. However, I do believe we shouldn't be discriminated against solely based on our House or blood status." Scorpius wasn't sure if it was okay to use the word 'discriminate' when he knew muggleborns had endured so much worse in previous generations, but he knew it would help him gain favor with his father's secret society. He scanned their faces and other than his grandfather's distasteful groan the adults appeared to be pleased with him.

Pansy scrunched up her face in a very pug-like manner. It was as if she'd tasted a sour apple. "They are part Muggle, though."

"They are still wizards," Astoria said. "We had our war and we lost. Why did we lose? Because we were wrong." It could have just been Scorpius's imagination, but it seemed as if his mother had extra animosity geared towards Pansy.

After a long pause, Draco cleared his throat. "Scorpius, Chamaeleon, Drake, you may leave."

"Chamaeleon." Cham froze and tensed his body. It was as if a Full Body Bind Curse had been conducted on him.

The boy gulped. "Yes, Grandfather?" he asked.

Lucius swept around the room to his grandson. He knelt to the young boy and stroked a hand against his cheek. It could have been loving, but his eyes were cold. "When you are inducted into Slytherin House this year, I trust you will make better decisions than your elder brother." Scorpius balled his hands into fists. His friendship with Albus and Rose had bothered his family more than expected. "Stay within your House, Chamaeleon. It will do you good to be with your own kind. You will not be corrupted when surrounded by like minded wizards."

Cham stared at his feet. "Yes, Grandfather."

The old man pulled away from his grandson and placed both hands on his jet black cane. "I will be keeping closer tabs on you this year. Both of you. I cannot afford for the Malfoy line to be stained with Muggle blood." Astoria scowled at her father in law, but said nothing.

"Yes, Grandfather." The three boys rushed back upstairs to retrieve their brooms.

"Now can we play Quidditch?" Cham asked breathlessly.

Scorpius sighed at his little brother. "Yes, we can play Quidditch."

The young boys flew on their brooms around the garden, and passed acorns between themselves as a makeshift snitch. Scorpius had his eyes on Seeker for the Quidditch try-outs that year and he knew he could only make it if he practiced all summer. Eventually Cham started to slow down, and Scorpius hopped off his broom to approach him. His younger brother was pale, and his blue eyes were glistening with concern. "Cham, are you okay?" Scorpius asked. Drake dragged his broom through the air and landed next to him.

"Hey, Scorp?" Cham asked quietly.

"Yes?"

He took a deep breath. "What if I don't make Slytherin?"

Scorpius and Drake exchanged a glance. Honestly, Cham didn't seem like a Slytherin to them. He was very sensitive and dependent. He did not possess many of the qualities the Sorting Hat had associated with Slytherin. Scorpius sighed. "Don't worry about it," he said. "The Hat actually thought about putting me in Ravenclaw, but I still managed to end up in Slytherin. It's not just your skills that put you in a certain House. It's also your values. In other words, the Hat is partially influenced by which House you want to be in." Scorpius crossed his arms. "So the question is: do you want to be a Slytherin?"

Cham nodded eagerly. "Yes, of course I do!"

"Then you have nothing to worry about."

Drake gripped his broom. "So are you ready to play more Quidditch?"

The eleven year old bit his lip. "One more question. What did Grandfather mean when he said he didn't want our name to be stained by Muggle blood? I wouldn't ever hurt anyone if that's what he means..." Cham could be so naive. He thought their grandfather had warned him against killing someone.

Scorpius exchanged a look with Drake. "He means don't marry someone who isn't a pureblood."

Cham stuck out his tongue. "Girls are gross! They have cooties." Drake laughed, but Scorpius merely rolled his eyes. Sometimes he felt like Cham was too young for his age. He was much shorter and much less mature than an eleven year old should be.

"Grandfather doesn't want you to make friends that aren't purebloods. I wish I could tell him he's being stupid, but he wouldn't listen," Scorpius replied.

Suddenly Cham's expression changed and a sloppy smile grew on his face. "Would you marry a girl who wasn't a pureblood, then?"

A bad feeling rushed through Scorpius's body and he put a hand over his mouth. "I, uh, I don't know," he stammered. Next, a feeling of shame surrounded him. How could he not know? The answer should be yes, right? If he responded no that would mean he had reservations like his grandfather about the spectrum from halfblood to Muggle. "Probably not," he answered. "Something about it just seems gross."

"Friends are fine, though," Drake interjected. "Just don't marry your friends."

Scorpius exhaled similarly to a laugh. "You're eleven. Don't worry about it."

Cham nodded uncertainly. He took a deep breath and then hopped back onto his broom. "Don't worry about it. Got it." He scooped up a small acorn from the ground and tossed it in the air. "Worry about what's going on now, instead!"

"Hey!" Scorpius and Drake leaped onto their broomsticks and whizzed through the air. Chamaeleon followed behind with hidden concern of his fate.

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**Any reviews are much appreciated. Thanks!**


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